JoshLia on love, hate & forgiveness

Julia on hating and loving someone: ‘When you love a person, the little things they do that upset you, it will affect you. Then you think you hate it but you really do love it. So tama naman, the more you hate, the more you love. It’s the only kind of hate that you can tolerate when you love a person.’

Joshua on the last person he hated but still loves: ‘Sarili ko (Myself). Yung sarili ko recently. May mga nagawang decision na mali. Pero siempre, sarili mo pa rin yun, kailangan mong mahalin.’

MANILA, Philippines — Joshua Garcia apologized to Julia Barretto for a past mistake, promising his perennial love team partner one thing.

“I’m sorry for my mistake, but I promise to be a better man for you and for us,” the young actor told Julia during the presscon on Monday night for their upcoming Star Cinema film I Love You, Hater. The movie will premiere on July 11.

Joshua made no mention of details, but it was assumed that he was referring to the viral screenshot of a private message he sent to a netizen, which caused a conflict with his rumored girlfriend and nearly threw a monkey wrench on their hit onscreen pairing.  

In the film, Joshua and Julia fight over a dream job and fall in love with each other in the process

The movie title also prompted questions such as, if one can really hate a person he/she loves.

Joshua cited a cliché, “The more you hate, the more you love.”

Julia added, “I think that’s true, when you love a person, the little things they do that upset you, it will affect you. Then you think you hate it but you really do love it. So tama naman, the more you hate, the more you love. It’s the only kind of hate that you can tolerate when you love a person.” 

They were also made to answer the question, “Last person you hated but you still love?”

Joshua: “Sarili ko (Myself). Yung sarili ko recently. May mga nagawang decision na mali. Pero siempre, sarili mo pa rin yun, kailangan mong mahalin.”

Julia: “(After pointing at Joshua) Last person I hated and love at the same time. Because there are some decisions that the person you love makes, made or will make, but at the end of the day, nangunguna talaga yung love mo for the person. So, you may hate what he’s doing but it can never overcome the love that you have for the person.”

JoshLia in scene from the movie Vince and Kath and James (2016)

Asked to officially confirm if they are a couple (again?), Joshua said, “Hindi ko pa masabi… sa tamang panahon.”

Nevertheless, seemingly dispelling doubts that all is not well with the two young stars, Joshua readily admitted his affection for Julia, and the latter did the same: “I feel like he takes good care of me. Really, really well. He’s very, very protective. I think all that he is, is enough for me. I think there’s nothing more I could ask for.”

As for their working relationship, Joshua believes it’s getting better with each new film.

“Nag-i-improve siya kada gawa namin ng pelikula. We are able to learn new characters, do a new film, meet new crew and staff. We become mature as a person.”

Through its trailer, the film appears to be light and fun, with Joshua’s character Joko pretending to be gay as he battles with Julia’s character Zoey over a coveted job opportunity as executive assistant. Sparks fly, naturally.

Josh described his experience fleshing out his role as a rollercoaster of emotions.

“Struggle lahat. Sabi ko nga kay direk (Giselle Andres), ang hirap nung nagpapanggap ka. Lalaki ka pero nagpapanggap ka na gay, sobrang hirap! Tapos yung emotion pa, tataas, bababa, tataas, bababa naman.”

JoshLia in scene from the movie Love You to the Stars and Back (2017)

He mused that he had a lot of guidance from the make-up artists on the set in how to deliver his role more accurately.

Asked to identify their favorite scenes, Josh said, “For me, my favorite is yung nag-‘around the world’ kami. Basta marami kaming pinuntahan na bansa.”

Julia, on the other hand, said, “My favorite scene would have to be when Joko confesses to Zoey that he’s not gay.”

“Ang galing niya doon,” Josh was quick to add.

There is another scene that Julia thinks women can very well relate to. “Ladies will be able to relate to that scene because… of course, as ladies, we have that factor, yung pride natin na ang taas-taas agad. Yung parang right away, we have to be strong, to be brave and everything. That’s important — to be strong and brave — but sometimes, we learn to forgive. More than anything, it’s for you — forgiving other people’s mistakes.”

Julia also feels that she has shed off her inhibitions in the film.

JoshLia in scene from the movie Unexpectedly Yours (2017)

“I feel like in this film, I am most free yet. I let go of so much strings, my inhibitions, my worries and my fears I could just be free. I can’t explain eh but I feel that with my character, my space is so big.”

She continued, “These are characters that are totally out of our comfort zones. This is really a different experience of kilig, love and pain because you always see the fun side (with the trailer) but there’s so much more to the film. It has heart and that’s what I love about it.”

This is their fourth film together, after the 2017 blockbusters Love You to the Stars and Back and Unexpectedly Yours, plus the film that discovered their tandem Vince and Kath and James.

Regarding the pressure of making their new project perform well anew in the box-office, Julia said, “I think, there will always be pressure. As what they say, never compete with anyone but yourself so, of course, you’re going to compete with your past work, past project, because you’d like to exceed the last time, di ba? I mean, with this one, we’re really just praying and hoping for the best. We worked hard on this one.”

After I Love You, Hater, JoshLia, or as the fans call their loveteam, is set to star for the first time together in a TV series titled Nostalgia airing “very, very soon” and will next topbill a zombie film in August. Julia said that they are “so, so humbled and so, so grateful because of the opportunities handed to us. Nakaka-inspire siya to do better, to keep going, to be better than the last one. We’re so thankful for all these chances to prove ourselves.”