Julia Barretto –STAR CINEMA/ YOUTUBE

Working with your ex is a matter of choice, according to actress Julia Barretto who is currently promoting “Un/Happy For You,” a film that she made with ex-beau Joshua Garcia.

“Not all endings with exes are good. Sometimes, it’s good riddance. Sometimes, there’s acceptance that they’re not really good for each other romantically,” she told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview.

“Everyone has different stories of why and how they broke up, so it’s kind of hard to give advice on how to find each other again and not have all those negative feelings in the heart.

“At the end of the day, I feel like with Josh and me, it was a choice. You heal from something, you take accountability for where you went wrong—probably the part where you hurt the other person—then how to heal and forgive yourself, also. I feel like we’re so lucky because we have the same mindset. I’m just happy that we can still be together in one room and work with each other.”

Forming friendship with your ex takes time, added Joshua. “After we broke up, we didn’t exchange messages right away. It took time. I realized that we really needed to go through that process in order to heal. While going through it, you will also realize that, maybe, you also did something wrong that led to the breakup … something like that.”

The two dated from 2017 to 2019. Julia is currently dating actor Gerald Anderson, while Joshua is with Filipino-French golfer Emilienne Vigier.

Anguish and affection

“Un/Happy For You,” directed by Petersen Vargas, is about how ex-lovers navigate feelings of anguish and deep affection with someone who once held a special place in their hearts. Produced by Star Cinema and Viva Films, the film has been screening in cinemas nationwide since Aug. 14.

Joshua said they didn’t have to work on finding their chemistry again. “I guess it’s always been there. We even have scenes that we shot in just one take. We just did the work that was required from us. I guess it helped that we’re both passionate about our craft. We were able to pull it off with the help of Direk. He was able to bring out the chemistry a lot faster than we thought, with how he would block us, with his angling and shots,” the actor explained.

“We click because we’re on the same page when it comes to giving importance to acting, giving depth to every scene, and being honest with our emotions when we deliver our lines,” Joshua added. “Of course, the fact that we have a past also helped create that romantic picture of us together in the minds of our viewers.”