After a rift that got so bad she wanted to drop her last name, Julia Barretto is now happily taking “baby steps” to restoring her relationship with her dad, Dennis Padilla.
She opened up about it during a recent interview with entertainment website PEP to promote her latest comedy film Vince & Kath & James, wherein her role is not something she usually portrays.
“No, kasi gusto ko siya i-surprise!” said Julia when asked whether her dad, a veteran comedian, has seen the movie. “Gusto ko makita niya yung finished product, tapos doon na siya magbigay ng comments niya right after.”
“Sana, I make my mom and dad proud…”
screengrab: Youtube
Even her mom Marjorie has no idea what to expect from the film. “But sana, I make my mom and dad proud, kasi it’s my first role na ganito. Wala silang clue, even my mom, wala siyang idea kung ano yung character ko dito, yung story,” shared the young actress. “That’s why she’s so excited to watch, kasi she’s curious.”
She even joked that her mom is so supportive she might even join the cast and crew on their upcoming cinema tours. As for her dad, Julia isn’t so sure.
“I hope so. Let’s see. I hope so. He has his own family na rin, e. So, I don’t know if he’s gonna be spending it with them,” she explained. Julia has three other siblings–Danni, Claudia, and Leon.
“Everything is so much better than it was before,” she shared when asked how her relationship with her dad is now. “Baby steps talaga ‘yan.”
News of their reconciliation first broke early last year when Dennis participated in her debut as one of her 18 roses.
“He’s still my father at the end of the day, siyempre mahal ko pa rin yung tatay ko…”
“He’s still my father at the end of the day, siyempre mahal ko pa rin yung tatay ko,” emphasized the 19-year-old actress in a PEP interview.
In May 2016, they were spotted spending some bonding moments while working out in a gym.
Photo: Billy James Fitness Center Instagram
“Actually ‘yung gym na ‘yun super surprise. I knew that he goes to that gym and I go to that gym pero iba-iba ‘yung schedules namin so never kami nagkakatagpo,” clarified Julia in an interview with ABS-CBN news. “Nagulat ako, ‘Papa!’ It just happened. But we talked. We’ve been talking even before meeting. It wasn’t like we patched things up there. We patched things up even before that incident.”
She also opened up about how happy she is now that they’ve settled their differences: “No matter what, gusto ko sa huli okay kami, walang hard feelings. My mom is happy naman wherever I’m happy, my siblings are happy. That’s why I appreciate my mom so much kasi pinapabayaan niya kami kung saan kami okay. Guidance lang.”
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