Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia return to the silver screen as partners in Cathy Garcia-Sampana’s Always Yours, Never Mine, a romantic drama that follows two people throughout the decades as they find and lose each other again and again.
Portraying a character throughout different phases in their life, between the ages of 18 and 48, is an ambitious undertaking — but one that the actors accepted because they were “excited” to work together again after 2024’s Un/Happy for You, directed by Petersen Vargas.
Screenwriter Vanessa R. Valdez, whose stories and screenplays include The Mistress and Four Sisters and a Wedding, sees the upcoming film as “an elevation” of what the actors can do. “I just wanted to see them give a different kind of performance and reach into a different part of their soul,” she tells Rolling Stone Philippines.
Barretto and Garcia admit to finding the material challenging. Of playing an 18-year-old at 28, Garcia says, “Ang hirap maging inosente ulit, na nag-iisip ka na.”
For Barretto, tapping into the maturity of a 48-year-old was also difficult. “It’s hard to draw from a place that you have not experienced just yet,” she says. “[The film] already asks so much of us, not just physically, but even emotionally, because there has to be some sort of emotional maturity. Nothing about what we had to do was easy.”
Still, the two arrive with something most co-stars have to build from scratch. Barretto and Garcia have shared the screen in a number of films, and at one point were in a loveteam, a history that gave them a shorthand when the material got heavy. “It’s not hard to ask for help when working with Josh, because he’s somebody that I trust and have known for so long,” Barretto says, before Garcia echoes the sentiment, “Kilala na namin ‘yung isa’t isa, so mas napapadali ‘yung mga mahihirap na eksena.”
As Always Yours, Never Mine comes to cinemas on Wednesday, September 30, Valdez, Barretto, and Garcia talk to Rolling Stone Philippines about how the film pushed them as writer and actors, and what it was like to work together again.
Can you tell me more about Always Yours, Never Mine?
Vanessa Valdez: It’s a story of two people who fell in love when they were 18, and then we follow their love story [over] the course of 30 years and how they change throughout, and how the choices they make or don’t make change who they are. And every time they meet, it’s a question of “Can they finally be together? Will they finally choose to love each other?” Pero ‘yun nga, they’re different people every time they meet. What may have worked when they were 18 may not necessarily work the next time they meet, or when they meet at 48.
It’s not just a love story. It’s a story about life, how people go through life, and whether or not they can say, “I love my life.” That’s an important question posed by the film: Do you love your life? Are you able to stand by the choices you made and say, “I’m happy and grateful that this is where my choices have led me”?
How did this project come together? What came first, the cast or the story?
Valdez: I wasn’t originally part of the team, but they asked me to come in and write the [script]. So there was already a story in place, and nandoon na si Joshua and si Julia. Olive [Lamasan] was saying maybe I can help write the story, and eventually Direk Cathy came into the picture. But they’ve always been a part of the project, given na sila. When I was writing the script, my job was to make [the story] fit for them. The difficulty is […] ‘yung characters kasi, aabot na sa age na 48. I was telling Jules, “Mas malapit kayo sa 18-year-old version than the 48-year-old version.” The challenge for [the actors] and even for the writers was, “How do I make it accessible for them, na young people, na maka-relate sila doon sa isang bagay na hindi pa nila na-e-experience.” I don’t know how [Julia and Joshua] felt about tapping into the maturity na hindi niyo pa nae-experience sa buhay. Nahirapan ka ba doon?
Barretto: Yeah, of course. It’s hard to draw from a place that you have not experienced just yet. But I grew up with people older than me, and my mom’s around that age, so it’s good that I had that. And a lot of my moms in past projects are also around that age. So every time I look at references, I’m always thinking about these people and the poise that they’ve had, the peace that they have in them, the calmness, the quiet, the contentment. Parang there really is a shift. You’re softer, more secure, and you truly just want to enjoy your life. I’m gonna love if I wanna love.
“Nakakatulong na may history sila, na they’ve gone through so much together, probably some parts of it masakit at nadadala ‘yun sa kuwento.”
Valdez: And that’s actually evident in her performance, na nakikita mo talaga ‘yung shift. At some point in the movie, you’ll think, “Ah, she’s an older person na,” even though you know it’s still Julia. And even for Josh, may isa akong scene na napanood na “Ay, ibang tao na siya! Grown-up na siya.”
Garcia: Malaking factor rin kasi ‘yung nandoon kayo sa set, kasi kayo ‘yung mas narating na ‘yung edad na ‘yun, so at least na-ga-guide niyo kami, kung tama ba ‘yung nararamdaman namin. Ang laking part ni Direk Cathy sa pelikula na ‘to.
Did it take you a lot of convincing to hop on the project?
Barretto: Definitely not. Did you have a hard time saying yes?
Garcia: Hindi.
Barretto: We were so excited. I think the idea of working together came before the material, also.
Garcia: Un/Happy for You pa lang e, we were excited na to do the next movie. Kasi sinasabi nila na “May naisip na kaming kuwento for you guys,” tapos hindi pa namin alam at the time.
Barretto: But the first time we read the script, you messaged me right away. We were like, “It’s beautiful.” It leaves you kind of out of breath. You have a moment when you’re done reading the script na parang, “What just happened?”
Garcia: Para kang nanood ng sine. Nakaka-patulala.
When you work with a pairing like Josh and Julia, what do you take into consideration when writing the script? And how do you write the comeback of a loveteam?
Valdez: Hindi ko masasabing comeback, kasi nag-comeback na sila noong 2024. I actually see it more as an elevation of what they can do. Very mature na yung Un/Happy for You. Mas mature pa ‘to. I just wanted to see them give a different kind of performance and reach into a different part of their soul. Based sa alam ko sa filmography nila, ibang-iba si Apollo at si Luna sa mga characters na na-portray nila, very complex people. It’s not all the time that I like [the characters] or their choices, but I have to live with them and say, “Who am I to judge these people?”
Usually kasi, in love stories, tinitignan natin ‘yung nang-iwan, ‘yun ‘yung nanakit. ‘Yun ‘yung masama. Pero dito, hindi ibig sabihin na [kung] nang-iwan siya or may pinili siyang iba, masama siyang tao. In fact, mabuti siyang tao, kaya naging ganoon ang choice niya, at mahirap lang para sa taong nagmamahal at gustong piliin siya. Ang sakit nun. Puwede mong i-villainize ‘yung isang tao. And I think that’s another element of the story that I really liked when I was writing it, how we have narratives in our heads about the people we love and the people we’ve become because of them. We tend to villainize or mythologize them. That’s another modern element of the story: this whole idea of how you can look differently at somebody and how memory is not exactly truthful. It’s a version of the truth, depende kung ano ‘yung nararamdaman mo.
“I just appreciate that in our working relationship, we’re able to be honest and just not have to pretend that we have it all figured out.”
You mentioned elevating their performances. What is it about past JoshLia projects that you wanted to change with this movie, and what did you want to keep?
Valdez: Naramdaman niyo ba na in-elevate ko kayo?
Garcia: Ramdam na ramdam ko. Just portraying Apollo, kasi ibang-iba siya sa akin.
Barretto: The material is challenging. It already asks so much of us, not just physically, but even emotionally, because there has to be some sort of emotional maturity. Nothing about what we had to do was easy.
Valdez: I remember ‘yung first day, sa club [scene], they were supposed to portray 18-year-olds. It was hard for them kasi hindi na sila 18.
Garcia: Ang hirap maging inosente ulit, na nag-iisip ka na. Dapat hindi ka nag-iisip.
Valdez: [It’s hard] for them to go back 10 years, tapos a-ask pa namin sila, “Go forward 20 years,” to a life they haven’t lived yet. But what’s interesting about them — and kineep talaga namin ‘to ni Direk Cathy — is magaling talaga sila sa rom-com. May lightness sila. There’s a scene in a building somewhere — when I was writing, I was like, “This is funny. I don’t know how they’re gonna do it. It’s a little risqué. But I wanna see how they’re gonna do it.” Kasi hindi ko pa sila nakikita na risqué and funny. Noong ginawa nila, tawang-tawa ako. Tawang-tawa ako sa willingness ni Joshua to look like…
Garcia: Nagtatanga-tangahan.
Valdez: And ‘yung Julia na nagkukunwaring adult and mature pero hindi naman pala. And then the scene ends in a very funny way. So na-ki-keep pa rin namin ‘yung lightness nila, pero may parts din na lumalalim na sila.
Garcia: Every day, para kaming nasa workshop din e, kay Direk. ‘Yun ‘yung pakiramdam.
What do you like about working with each other?
Barretto: I just appreciate that in our working relationship, we’re able to be honest and just not have to pretend that we have it all figured out. I can go to Josh and say, “I’m having a hard time with this,” or “Can you help me, please?” It’s not hard to ask for help when working with Josh, because he’s somebody that I trust and have known for so long. I can be honest and be myself with him.
Garcia: Ako ganun rin, pero feeling ko, mas napapadali ‘yung trabaho namin and I’m really grateful na si Julia ‘yung kasama ko sa journey na ‘to, nila Apollo at Luna. Na-enjoy ko lang. Tama ‘yung sinabi ni Julia na kilala na namin ‘yung isa’t isa, so mas napapadali ‘yung mga mahihirap na eksena.
“Ang hirap maging inosente ulit, na nag-iisip ka na. Dapat hindi ka nag-iisip.”
Valdez: This is the first time I’m working with them as a writer. The previous times, I was their producer. May nakita ako sa kanilang bago na hindi ko nakita noong bata sila. Noong bata sila, minsan feeling ko switch off agad [‘yung role.] Nararamdaman ko dito na karga nila. Ang natutuwa ako, kinukuwento nila. They just go to each other and say, “I can’t do this.” Meron silang respect, at ang kumportable nila sa isa’t isa, na ini-imagine ko kung ginawa mo ‘yun with other people, it might be harder para marating ‘yung 30 years na klase naming kuwento. Nakakatulong na may history sila, na they’ve gone through so much together, probably some parts of it masakit at nadadala ‘yun sa kuwento. Ang swerte niyo na mayroon kayong ganoon, somebody you really grew up with and who understands you.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are six romance films featuring Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia as the leads: Vince and Kath and James (2016), Love You to the Stars and Back (2017), Unexpectedly Yours (2017), I Love You, Hater (2018), Un/Happy for You (2024), and Always Yours, Never Mine (2026).
Always Yours, Never Mine is directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana and written by Vanessa R. Valdez.
Aside from Barretto and Garcia, the film also stars Chanda Romero, Bianca Umali, Joy Barcoma, Karen Reyes, Bob Jbeili, Migs Almendras, Ina Raymundo, Franco Laurel, Reign Parani, Paulo Angeles, and Jan Silverio.
Spanning three decades, the story follows Apollo (Garcia) and Luna (Barretto) as their lives intersect at different points in time, exploring commitment, timing, and love’s “what ifs.”
Always Yours, Never Mine premieres on September 30 and is set for a nationwide theatrical release.
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