Julia Montes said she couldn't help but feel proud to see how far her Mara Clara co-star Kathryn Bernardo has come.

Photo credit: Candy Magazine

It was in 2010 when Kathryn, 25, and Julia, 26, first worked together via the ABS-CBN drama Mara Clara, a remake of the 1992 hit TV series of the same title, which starred Judy Ann Santos and Gladys Reyes.

In an interview with G3 San Diego for Mega Entertainment, Julia said she was meant to work with Kathryn in Mara Clara, describing the two of them as the "first and perfect love team".

“Actually, ang dating sa akin, it’s meant for me to be with Kath nu’ng panahon na ‘yun kasi nag-work kami together dahil hindi kami nagkakitaan ng, ‘Dapat ako ‘yan, eh,’ or, ‘Dapat mas ako sa kanya.’ And that’s our magic. Eh, lagi nga namin sinasabi, kami ang first and perfect love team," she said.

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After Mara Clara, Kathryn climbed her way to becoming the biggest star of her generation, having starred in a number of primetime series including Got to Believe, Pangako Sa 'yo, and La Luna Sangre, and in record-breaking films such as The Hows of Us and Hello, Love, Goodbye.

In her Mega interview, Julia said she's happy for Kathryn for having a successful showbiz career.

“With Kath, sobrang proud ako with her showbiz life, her business life, alam mo ‘yun? Lahat, okay, sobrang ganda nu’ng ano niya. ‘Yun lang. ‘Yun lang ‘yung lagi kong sinasabi. Hindi ko rin kasi talaga na-imagine," she said.

The actress also shared how grateful she is to have found a sister in Kathryn.

"Parang dumating lang na para kang nakakita ng sister and you’re so proud of your sister na whatever happens, you’re just there for her. And ‘yun ako sa kanya until now... na parang ups and downs, hindi lang ako laging present pero andito ako lagi," she said.

Aside from Mara Clara, Kathryn and Julia also co-starred in the 2011 family drama movie Way Back Home.

In a previous interview, Kathryn said she was grateful to have Julia as her co-star in her first full-length film.

"Ang swerte ko nun kasi kasama ko si Julia. Malapit ko siyang kaibigan," she said.

"Alam mo 'yung feeling na wala ka pang love team nun, wala pang DJ (Daniel Padilla) pero meron kang kasama na mag-adjust sa ganung mundo. Swerte ako nun na kasama ko si Julia," she added.