Julia Barretto talks about her mom Marjorie Barretto: ‘She keeps me strong’

Rhea Manila Santos

<div><img src='' alt='051714-julia_main.jpg' width='400' height='290' align='left' border='0'>After being launched as part of the Star Magic Circle batch last year, Julia Barretto’s career has been on the rise with a growing number of major endorsements as well as headlining her first ever Kapamilya soap<i> Mirabella</i>. The 17-year-old actress admitted she has been adapting well to showbiz with the help of her family most especially her mom Marjorie Barretto.</div><div><br/></div><div>“She keeps me strong. I get my strength from her. Growing up <i>kasi nakasanayan ko na rin yung</i> showbiz world so <i>parang</i> as I entered it was <i>sariling</i> experiences na so I kind of expected all of these things to happen already,” she admitted. The young actress said she has also learned how to take intrigues in stride having grown up in a controversial showbiz family. </div><div><br/></div><div>With her cousin Dominique (only daughter of Gretchen Barretto and Tonyboy Cojuangco) recently becoming more visible in public after joining her in the Bench family as one of its newest endorsers, Julia said she is not surprised they are both in the limelight. “I've always seen her as a model and I've always wanted her to kind of get into these kinds of stuff so I expected <i>na</i> she'll do great,” she said.</div><div><br/></div><div>But when it comes to joining showbiz, Julia said her older cousin still has some serious preparation to do. <i>“Eh mag-Tagalog muna siya!</i> (laughs). <i>Matuto muna siyang mag-</i>Tagalog. <i>Pero</i> if she wants to then of course. She's studying in London and it's good that she's putting her studies first. Showbiz is a very crazy world<i> di ba</i>? You kind of think twice about it so <i>siya rin, bahala siya</i>. She's seen her mother through it all,” she added.</div><div><br/></div><div></div><div><br/></div><div>For Julia, one of the most ridiculous rumors she’s ever had to face was the one linking her to Sam Concepcion. “I don't know, <i>meron ba?</i> I don't know. Is he courting me? No, not at all. Sam C. is like my big brother (laughs). I'm not aware of anything, promise. Sam C. is like my<i> kuya talaga sa</i> set because<i> nakatrabaho ko siya</i> when I was nine years old s<i>a Walang Kapalit</i> so growing up I've always seen him as my kuya so I don't know about those things. <i>Wala talaga at saka kilala niyo naman ako</i> career <i>ang</i> focus<i> k</i>o right now<i> wala namang ganun</i>,” she admitted.</div><div><br/></div><div>The pretty mestiza couldn’t help but laugh at the thought while being interviewed by the press. “<i>Eh kasi naman nakakatawa talaga kasi alam mo na kuya mo tapos</i> it's just so, well it's showbiz so expected. It's funny, it's funny,” she said.</div><div><br/></div><div>The <i>Mirabella</i> star said she has already met Sam’s girlfriend Jasmine Curtis-Smith when they did a magazine shoot together which is why she wants to clarify that she was never a third party to anything. “Actually, <i>hindi ko talaga alam yan. Hindi ko alam na may ganung</i> issue. I don't know,” she insisted. </div><div><br/></div><div>When asked if she would ever consider dating Sam if ever he was single, she declined to indulge the thought. “<i>Kasi kuya talaga tingin ko sa kanya eh. </i>So <i>parang hindi</i> (laughs),” she said.</div><div><br/></div>

Julia Barretto talks about her mom Marjorie Barretto: ‘She keeps me strong’ | PUSH.COM.PH