Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto visited cinemas to thank moviegoers supporting their reunion film “Always Yours, Never Mine,” as they expressed gratitude over the warm reception the movie has received since its release.
Barretto said they have been receiving messages from viewers who caught the film during its first few days in theaters.
“We’ve been having a really great time. We’re so grateful. Ang dami naming natatanggap na messages from people who’ve been watching since the start. So we’re just overflowing with gratitude,” she said.
Garcia, meanwhile, said he was excited to personally meet and thank those who have been supporting the film.
Asked about the most common reaction they have received from viewers, Barretto said many admitted feeling “stressed” while watching the story unfold, but, in a good way.
“They were so stressed, but stressed in a good way,” she said.
“I think yun yung pinaka common yung stress, and then hindi sila makapaniwala sa mga choices,” she added, noting that some viewers became so invested in their characters that they wanted to make the decisions for them.
“Parang sila na yung gustong mag-decide for us,” Barretto said.
The actress also welcomed the strong turnout for the movie, saying that seeing audiences make time to watch it on the big screen already means a lot to the cast and production team.
“Just the fact that people are coming to the cinemas to watch the movie, to take time out of their way, it’s already so special,” she said.
Barretto added that reaching an early milestone with the film made the experience even more meaningful.
“To achieve this kind of milestone very early on, we’re hoping that over the weekend, there will be more families and everybody else will get the chance to see it and enjoy it as well,” she said.
Garcia said the response reflects what they ultimately hoped to accomplish through the movie—to connect with audiences and deliver its message.
“Yun naman yung goal ng pelikula. Bakit pelikula natin ginagawa? Maiparating yung mensahe sa mga tao, maintindihan nila. Masaya ako sa nangyayari,” he said.
“Sana tuloy-tuloy pa. Hindi pa tayo dumadaan ng weekend. May weekend pa,” he added.
The pair will continue meeting fans through a series of cinema visits, with stops lined up in Calamba, Dasmariñas and Bacoor.
“Marami tayo tomorrow sa Calamba, Dasmariñas, Bacoor. So magkakaroon kami ng mga cinema visit,” Garcia shared.
The stars also teased plans to bring the promotion overseas, with Garcia saying international activities could happen by the third week of October.
Meanwhile, the reunion of Garcia and Barretto has also reignited excitement among longtime “JoshLia” fans, with edits and clips of the former on-screen tandem once again circulating on social media.
“Yeah, nakikita namin. So yeah, doon sila masaya,” Garcia said.
Barretto added that they are simply enjoying seeing their supporters happy.
“We just want to make them happy,” she said.
The actress also looked back on the premiere for the film attended by their loved ones, describing it as an emotional evening for everyone involved.
“It was just a very special night for all of us. The closest friends, our family. We were all very overwhelmed with emotions. Sobrang ramdam namin yung pagmamahal,” Barretto said.