A rollercoaster of emotions

CEBU, Philippines – Despite facing the cameras for a living and being one of this generation’s most recognizable faces, Julia Montes revealed that intimate press conferences – such as one she attended last Saturday here in Cebu – still make her nervous.

This was in response to a query on whether the statuesque 19-year-old would consider joining a beauty pageant (See, this was two days before Miss Universe finals and the pageant fever was in high gear).

Giggling shyly and admitting that she used to watch beauty contestsand listed down her favorites, Julia said she can’t see how she can muster the guts to prance and preen before a huge crowd, when even media interviews make her heart flutter faster than normal.

Julia though is aware of her assets that have prodded such beauty pageant questions: that enviable height, mestiza features and womanly curves.

The “Goin’ Bulilit” alumna credits her looks for getting away from the teeny-bopper mold quickly then her “Mara Clara” partner-in-crime Kathryn Bernardo.

She brushed off insinuations that she’s zoomed ahead of the Teen Queen in terms of character roles, saying that her mature looks has given her a different path.

“I guess it’s to my advantage that I look mature for my age – I’m tall and a half-breed, so my looks could pass off for older characters. That’s why I’ve played roles where I was married and had a kid,” said the Fil-German actress, who is Mara Hautea Schnittka in real life.

While lauded for her turn in the 2014 soap opera “Ikaw Lamang,” Julia insisted that such plaudits, and her rising fame, will not change the person her grandma raised her to be.

“I have traits that I haven’t done away with even if I’m now in showbiz. My personality remains the same,” the ABS-CBN star said. “There might be people who will say that I should be a certain way because I’m in the limelight, but my opinion is, ‘No, I want people to like me for what I truly am.’ I may be judged often because I look snobbish, but I always love it when people get to know me and realize I’m the opposite. Whatever my grandma instilled in me growing up, I’ve stuck to those values wherever I am, whoever I’m with, and however far I reach in life.”

Julia has the honor of topbilling 2015’s first Star Cinema film titled “Halik sa Hangin” along with Gerald Anderson and JC de Vera, and she promised viewers a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

“I felt like I made more than one movie. My emotions would be this when I’m with Gerald, my emotions would be another when I’m with JC,” shared Julia, who professed to being a huge fan of Claudine Barretto.

Directed by Manny Palo, “Halik sa Hangin” is described as a gripping tale of a young woman who will embark on an extraordinary journey as she falls in love for the first time.

Mia (Julia) uproots to Baguio with her mom’s new family after the untimely passing of her dad. There, she will meet two men who will change her life – Gio (Gerald Anderson), a young man who will challenge her to be adventurous and bold in facing her fears, and Alvin (JC de Vera), a mature and responsible one who will inspire her to be open and passionate in welcoming new changes. Gio and Alvin will introduce Mia into a world of love and obsession. Little does Mia know, falling in love comes at a very high price. She will be compelled to decide whether she’s willing to sacrifice everything for the love that changed her life.

Julia said further of her role: “Unlike my previous characters, this role is within my age range. But the required emotions here were really varied. This is a sad summer of Mia’s life because her dad just passed away. Then I meet these two guys where I find my comfort zone with one, and then I always have this fun, adventurous time with the other. There’s this super conflict, so Mia will struggle which one to choose.”

Gerald, for his part, found his role as a guitar-playing student challenging, as he’s no musician off-cam.

“I didn’t know how to play the instrument prior to this film, so I and Julia took lessons,” Gerald said. “Our guitar teacher would be on set, because of course, it’s hard to gain the confidence about something you’re not used to.”

JC cited their party scenes at Baguio’s Diplomat Hotel as giving him shivers, knowing tales of the place of being haunted and such.

The three lead stars promise movie-watchers a visual feast of the unspoiled Baguio of yore.

“What’s exciting is, the movie shows a different side to Baguio. You will see Camp John Hay in a different perspective. You will see the Baguio of before, when it was still fresh,” said Julia, adding that their director lived for 15 years in Baguio and that some of their scenes were culled from the real life experiences of Palo.

Gerald said: “This is a different kind of love story that’s very passionate and filled with secrets, sacrifices and revelations. After watching the film, I think you will have a lot of questions about yourself. Sometimes, we fall in love quickly. But we have to ask ourselves if this is a healthy relationship, if this will make me happy, or if this will break me. There are elements that I guarantee will surely surprise viewers.”

Showing in cinemas nationwide beginning today, also starring in “Halik sa Hangin” are Ina Raymundo and Edu Manzano.