Julia Barretto, Joshua Garcia open to doing more films after ‘Un/Happy for You’

Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia. Image: Nice Print Photography via X/@StarCinema

After their reunion film “Un/Happy for You,” Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia have no problem working together on future projects since they’re both in a “secure position” in their lives.

Barretto told reporters in a press conference that she doesn’t mind joining forces with Garcia again in follow-up projects, saying she is open to even doing “10 films” with the actor.

“I feel like there’s no might. I believe both Josh and I are at very secure places in our lives. Kahit gumawa pa kaming 10 pelikula, ang intensyon naman n’un ay hindi makasira ng isang magandang bagay (Even if we do 10 films, our intention is to not ruin a good thing). We’re both in a secure position in our lives,” she said.

“Masaya naming natapos ang ‘Un/Happy for You.’ Masaya ang mga taong nasa paligid namin. Minamahal pa rin kami (We finished ‘Un/Happy for You’ happily. People around us were happy. We were still loved). I think it says a lot where we both are in our lives.” she continued.

While recalling the time when they had to film heavy scenes, Garcia even hoped their follow-up project would have a more lighthearted genre. “Kami ni Ju, iba na ang approach namin sa work. Mas professional.”

“We know our boundaries,” he continued. “Nagsho-shoot pa lang kami, pinag-uusapan namin na sana gawin naman namin ay comedy. Kasi pigang-piga na kami,” he added in jest.

(Ju and I have a different approach to work now. We’re more professional. We know our boundaries. When we were shooting, we talked about wanting to do comedy next. Because we feel drained after this.)

Unique understanding

Garcia also pointed out that it’s been five years since he and Barretto parted ways, making things between them “more different” now.

“Hindi naman namin ito tatanggapin kung hindi kami ready. Bakit namin gugustuhing masaktan sa pelikula? Parang ang sadista naman natin, diba? It’s been five years na rin [since our breakup]. Marami na ring nagbago. Ibang-iba na,” he said.

(We wouldn’t have accepted this project if we were not ready. Why would we want to hurt ourselves in this film? It’s like we’re sadists. It’s been five years since our breakup. Many things have changed. Things are different now.)

It was revealed that Barretto and Garcia were offered to work together after their prominent appearance in the music video of Moira Dela Torre’s song “Paubaya” in February 2021. Both, however, felt the time “wasn’t right” back then.

Fast forward to the present, the ex-couple found themselves in a better position. In Barretto’s case, she’s more excited to work with Garcia again.

“I don’t think it was worry. I was just so excited to reunite with Josh and work with him. It was more [exciting]. Ang ganda ng mindset namin (We had a good mindset) coming into this project. We only had one goal and that made us even closer,” she said.

Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia. Image: Facebook/Star Magic

Meanwhile, Garcia shared that their past relationship allowed them to have a “unique understanding,” which helped them pull off their scenes seamlessly.

“I feel like may understanding na kami even if we don’t talk about it. Okay na sa’min. Ang tagal na. Happy na kami sa posisyon ng buhay namin ngayon. Gusto na lang namin is ma-retain ang friendship namin. Sayang kasi eh,” he said.

(I feel like we have a unique understanding even if we don’t talk about it. We’re okay. It’s been a long time already. We’re happy with our respective positions in our lives. All we want is to retain our friendship because it would be such a waste if we didn’t.)

“Un/Happy for You” tells the story of Zy (Barretto) and Juancho (Garcia) who cross paths after their painful breakup. Since there was no closure in their split, they were forced to process their emotions and discover what went wrong in their relationship.

The Petersen Vargas-helmed film also stars Kaila Estrada, Aljon Mendoza, Nonie Buencamino and Ketchup Eusebio.