Fervent fans of former sweethearts and recurring loveteam Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto surely rejoiced when it was officially announced by production outfits Star Cinema and VIVA Films on Wednesday, April 24, through a press conference that they’re poised to work again together on the big screen via the romance-drama flick entitled “Un/Happy For You,” which will be helmed by award-winning young director Petersen Vargas.

This much-awaited reunion project of the JoshLia tandem comes five years after their break-up in 2019, four years after their last movie together “Block Z” was released in 2020, and three years after they starred in the music video of the Moira Dela Torre hit “Paubaya.”

Kapamilya showbiz reporter MJ Felipe had the chance to catch up with Joshua and Julia in this episode of “On Cue,” wherein they enthusiastically talked about their onscreen reunion, which they described as “unbelievable” and “unreal.”

When asked if they ever imagined this to happen, both of them implied that they’ve been actually very much open about the idea or the possibility of it since they have remained civil with one another despite their romantic history. Both of them agreed that they were just waiting for the right time and material for their much-awaited reunion to come to fruition. Julia confessed that it has been on her head, while Joshua disclosed that he promised himself to never return to the big screen unless it’s with her since she was her perennial partner throughout his film journey.

MJ had JoshLia reminisce about their unforgettable experiences while working on their previous movies together, starting off with their first-ever project together “Vince and Kath and James” in 2016. It was memorable for both of them since it was through that flick that they felt like their lives really started.

The two then recalled how intense their emotions were on-and-off-screen in the 2017 film “Love You to the Stars and Back” since that was also around the time when their relationship began. The scenes were mostly heavy and dramatic, which compelled them to deliver passionate acting performances as well. Since it was released a few months after their first film together which was a box-office success during the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival, Julia admitted getting pressured that it would do well. She also agreed when Joshua conveyed how much he enjoyed every moment they spent on-and-off-cam.

True to its title, JoshLia revealed that the 2018 flick “Unexpectedly Yours” was also unexpected for them. They found it unforgettable since they got to work with Megastar Sharon Cuneta and action star-turned-politician Robin Padilla, who they regarded as their parents on the set because of how generous they were to everyone.

It was also that same year when their romantic comedy movie “I Love You, Hater” was released. Among the scenes that they shot, what stood out for them was the elevator breakdown scene of Joshua’s character which became real according to Julia because of how he really gave his all for it.

Last, but definitely not the least, was the 2020 zombie thriller movie “Block Z,” which Joshua described as “nakakapagod” since it required them to do physical stunts along with acting and delivering their lines well. But it was fun at the same time because they got to bond with their co-actors behind the scenes.

When asked by MJ who they are now coming to this movie, Joshua said that unlike their previous projects, they are relatively more mature because of the amount of experience they have gained in recent years.

“Before kasi teeny-teeny pa kami. But now, I think, we’re more mature, mas maraming knowledge about acting, marami na kaming iba’t ibang nakatrabaho. So, iba na rin ‘yong approach namin when it comes to acting,” he remarked, adding that they still have to make a few adjustments. He then expressed how proud they both are to reach this point in their lives and careers despite everything that happened and initiated a fist bump with her.

Julia, on the other hand, related that she’s still in the process of getting to know herself more, so she couldn’t give a definite answer to the question. “As we grow up, parang nag-iiba-iba ‘yong version mo. I’m just relieved and it gives me so much peace that we can still come together to work on a beautiful material and be in such a good headspace. Kasi since kanina pa, today was our first day together, nag-eksena na kami, parang zero to a hundred lahat e. But it feels peaceful as we speak,” she told MJ.

Unlike other ex-couples who became hostile with one another after calling it quits, it’s indeed notable how Joshua and Julia have remained civil and how they never hurled snide remarks at each other. For him, it’s probably because they are best friends first and he is just holding on to the memories and friendship that they share, to which she completely agreed.

Since their upcoming film “Un/Happy For You” will follow the story of an ex-couple based on the teaser also released on April 24, Joshua said that it is definitely going to be inevitable for some of their memories together to come back while filming. But as a professional actor, he believes that it’s part of their duty to suppress what they feel or use it as a “weapon” or “tool” instead of letting it resurface as a trauma.

With how they’re able to relate to the plot of the movie, the JoshLia imparted that they will surely take bits and pieces (or “hugot”) from their own experiences and how they used to be not only for the heavy scenes, but in the light ones as well. They may be about to tell the love story of fictional exes Juancho and Zari and not of their own, yet they feel lucky that they’re coming from a place where there is some sort of parallelism, which makes them more inspired to work on it.

Even though they’ve already starred in five movies and a teleserye together, which was the 2018 romance drama Ngayon At Kailanman, the two revealed that they never shared a kissing scene with one another. Joshua had his first onscreen kiss with Janella Salvador in the 2019 thriller drama series The Killer Bride, while Julia had hers with current boyfriend Gerald Anderson in their 2019 movie “Between Maybes.” However, they remembered that they actually supposed to have theirs while filming “Block Z,” which probably didn’t appear romantic, so the production decided to not include it.

Nonetheless, JoshLia fans must watch out for their official first onscreen kiss in “Un/Happy For You,” along with their other intimate scenes wherein Joshua jested that they’ll go all out for this.

As MJ expressed his amazement at how their tandem is able to preserve their brilliance despite everything that happened in their personal lives, Julia uttered a “thank you, Lord” and said that it definitely “takes two to tango”. Joshua, on the other hand, reiterated that they were only waiting for the right opportunity since they were actually offered to do films and series before.

MJ capped off their exciting conversation by asking the two if they could genuinely say “I’m happy for you” to one another. While it was easy for Julia to say, “I don’t know” in jest, Joshua conveyed that it’s quite difficult for him to say it to her since he doesn’t know yet how her life has been at present and it would only feel fake. Thus, they resorted to telling one another “I’m unhappy for you” for now, as an allude us well to their highly anticipated film.