“It takes a lot to be silent than to have to say something,” she revealed in the interview shared on April 25. “It takes more to be silent. But I also have that thinking na, ‘If I keep talking, I don’t know what that’s going to do.’ Unless we deal with this privately na hindi kailangan na involve ng lahat ng tao. Because I don’t know others can contribute also to the healing part of things.”
Julia brushed off concerns about being hurt by rumors, stating that life throws bigger curveballs. However, she couldn’t quite shake off the confusion surrounding her new home. When questioned about rumors of it being a gift, she said she “didn’t know the basis or where it was coming from.”
“At the same time, unaffected because I know that I really worked hard to get to this place in my life. I’ve been working since I was 9 years old. This is really a labor of hard work,” she told Karen whom she invited to her home.
Recalling that time when she and her siblings had to move to 14 homes when they were younger, Julia said her house is a product of her “blood, sweat, literally, and tears.”
“At that time, my parents were struggling, my mom was struggling. Ang dami kong dreams nung bata ako na hindi ko na fulfill because we didn’t have enough money to keep going. We didn’t really always have it easy,” she said, noting that while that was the situation, they didn’t pity themselves.
‘So much pain’
Opening up about her personal life, Julia shared the difficulty of her relationship with her estranged father Dennis Padilla. Citing a recurring pattern of “making up and getting hurt,” she admitted to feeling “so much fear” that hinders any attempt at communication.
I just want to huminga lang muna for that cycle and I’ve just been praying also na, I don’t know, maybe in God’s time and way, mag meet kami in the middle without having to get hurt again,” she said. “There’s just so much pain over the years since I was young. Parang I got tired of the same thing.”
Julia said she is just longing for her dad to be his number 1 protector.
“I just need more love from him, more protection, more… I just feel like he should be my number 1 protector and that’s not really what I’m getting from him right now. So it does hurt because dapat siya yung tinatakbuhan ko diba? It’s sad that I can’t,” the actress admitted.
While it would be impossible to bring back the relationship like before, Julia hopes that one day they will all heal.
“I do hope that there’s healing between everyone na maresolve. But I’m not sure if it can ever be the same again,” she told Karen.
Hope amid the Barretto sisters’ feud
Julia, who comes from a family of prominent actors, was also asked about how she feels about the rift between her mom Marjorie, and her sisters Gretchen and Claudine Barretto.
“I think it affects me for my mom because I know how much she loves her sisters and the bond that they really had. Before, they were inseprable and growing up, nakita namin yun.”
She hopes that one day, things will be better for the Barretto sisters.
“I really hope that one day, maayos yon, even after all that’s said and done. I just feel like, the fact that it was painful for each other, there was love in the first place.
No reason to doubt Gerald Anderson
Another issue surrounding the Viva actress was how her relationship with her boyfriend Gerald Anderson started. Gerald, at that time, was allegedly still in a relationship with Bea Alonzo. He had gotten closer to Julia after their movie Between Maybes, which fueled dating rumors.
“I still don’t know how to answer actually. I only conditioned my mind na temporary to and I think I was caught in between an issue involving two other people,” she said, stating that this would be the first time she spoke about the issue.
“At that time, that was my mindset. I felt like ang dapat mag resolve ng issue was really the two other people that were involved. So I didn’t know how to place myself in that situation because parang it really wasn’t an issue between three people, it was an issue between two people,” Julia added, who said that at the time the news broke, she was moving into her new home.
She said: “I was busy and at the same time, living alone that time gave me so much peace and quiet.”
The couple’s relationship was confirmed to the public in March 2021. Since then, they each expressed their interest in getting married to each other in separate interviews.
When asked how serious Julia is of Gerald, she said: “Serious I would say. I do feel safe in this relationship.” Julia added that she won’t get into a relationship with someone whom she doesn’t think she’ll trust.
“I do trust him and he shows me that every single day. There’s just no reason for me to doubt,” the actress told Karen.
Braver and out of her comfort zone
Seeking a departure from her youthful roles, Julia sets her sights on more complex characters. Last year, she portrayed the role of Candy, a sex worker from Pampanga, in the movie Expensive Candy with Carlo Aquino.
“I do feel that I’m at that point in my life at nasa tamang edad ako to really explore and start doing different things and get out of my comfort zone. Na realize ko I was so scared to get stuck than to get out of my comfort zone. So professionally, I said even if it feels uncomfortable, it’s for my own personal growth and professional growth,” she said.
Julia has two upcoming projects this year—one of which is a Viu Philippines series with South Korean actor Sang Heon Lee and Indonesia’s Nicholas Saputra, titled Secret Ingredient. The other is a reunion film, UN/HAPPY FOR YOU, with former on-and-offscreen partner Joshua Garcia.
“I’m in a different season already in my life and I’m ready, I’m braver now. I feel much more braver now. Iba yung hunger for growth. I want to challenge myself, the more it scares me, the more parang ‘sige nga let’s try,'” she said.
