MANILA, Philippines – Joshua Garcia admitted that he has already been courting his leading lady Julia Barretto.

At a press conference for their movie Love You To the Stars and Back on Sunday, August 20, Joshua was asked what the real score was between him and the actress. According to Joshua, he already had crush on the Julia even before they did a look test for a project and he’s been courting her since early 2017.

“Malalim na ho yung pinagsamahan namin. Mas kilala na ho namin ang isa’t isa,” Joshua said. (We have a deep friendship. We already know each other better now.)

Although he and Julia are special to each other, he said that he’s not confident about asking her to be his girlfriend yet. “Nakakatakot pa rin kasi magtanong sa kanya, kasi hindi mo rin ini-expect din kasi yung kung anong pwede niya sabihin. Pwede siya mag hindi, kasi sa ngayon, yung trabaho na pumapasok sa amin ang hirap sayangin… nakakatakot kasi talaga magtanong,” he said.

(I’m scared to ask her, because you don’t expect what she might say. She could say no, because right now, the work that’s coming in for us, it’s hard to waste… I’m really afraid to ask.) 

Julia added that she’s open to dating Joshua, but is also prioritizing her work over her love life right now.

There was some tension during the press conference as reporters grilled Joshua, who at one point began to look uncomfortable despite having answered the questions. When a reporter asked him if it was true that his didn’t parents liked Julia for him, the actress stepped in to answer.

“I’m sorry that I have to butt in [in] the middle of all of this okay, but I don’t like seeing him being yung ginaganun (grilled or pressured). What he’s trying to say po is he does not know po of a family member that he has spoken to about the two of us, except for both his parents na kanina klinaro ko naman na na-meet ko na po pamilya po niya, na nandito po (What he trying to say is he does not know of a family member that he has spoken to about the two of us except for both his parents, and I clarified earlier I’ve met his family, who are here).” 

She added that Joshua said earlier that he would take her Batangas, because part of his family is from there and she hasn’t met them. “In other words, hindi niya po nagpagkukuwetuhan po sa aming dalawa ho, and it’s unfair naman ho sa aming dalawa na ginagawan po kami ng kwento na wala naman kaming ginagawa,” Julia said. (In other words, he hasn’t told them about the two of us, and it’s unfair to the both of us that there are stories being told about us but we aren’t even doing anything.)

In an interview with reporters after the press conference, the two were asked about Julia’s defense of Joshua during the main event. 

“Personally kasi, syempre (of course), when you’re seeing somebody who is special to you going through something like that, you feel for him. So whatever he’s feeling I start to feel also. I’m very protective of Joshua so as much as possible in any way I can help him, I will help him,” she said. 

Julia said that her family, including dad Dennis Padilla, likes Joshua as well, and even look for him at some of their events.

Love You to The Stars and Back is directed by Antoinette Jadaone and will be in theaters on August 30. – Rappler.com