With her angular, patrician features, it wasn't hard to see why the young Julia Montes was cast as the haughty and mean Clara del Valle in the reboot of the legendary melodrama Mara Clara. But it was her profound expressiveness and staggering acting talent that cemented her as one of the best actresses of her generation, conquering all genres from romantic comedy, horror, and drama. 

But in Saving Grace, now the no. 1 show on Prime Video Philippines, Julia is portraying the role of a lifetime as Teacher Anna, who literally saves her young student, the battered child, Mary Grace (portrayed by Zia Grace). 

The series, which is the Philippine adaptation of the popular Japanese drama Mother, also casts Julia alongside Sharon Cuneta with whom she has a heartwarming connection. During the shoot, even behind the scenes, the closeness of the two was apparent, and that's part of what made their work in Saving Grace fun and pleasant despite the heavy drama genre. They think alike, so much so that when we asked them for their gift recommendations for Christmas, they shared ideas for pampering and that much-needed R&R.

Close to Home

“Of all my roles, I can say that Teacher Anna is the closest to the real me. We show that not everyone is blessed to have a family that is okay, and sometimes, you will find the love that you need from someone na hindi mo family,” Julia confesses. “That’s really what Sir Deo [Endrinal, former head of ABS-CBN's Dreamscape Entertainment, who passed away early this year] wanted. To make people more aware of child abuse since it’s such an important issue. And for people to see that a mother’s love can come from someone who is not your mother.”

More than hype or high ratings, Julia sees the show as serving a greater purpose. “What I really want is for people to find some life lessons and healing from this show. Every person is a grace in their own life story. Because we all need healing in our lives. For me, coming from a family with a deaf/mute member [Julia’s mother is deaf-mute and it was her grandmother who was the primary parent figure in her life], we are not used to expressing our emotions. So, I am always the one checking on my family. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Is there something na gusto mo ilabas?’ Even if they’re your family, you will always find out new things about them. Like my Lola, I always thought she was so strong but of course, now, she is sharing more of her story. Or, with my dad, there are things that I am only finding out were different from what I thought happened before. In that way, I am mothering my whole family now. When it’s the end of the year, I always ask myself, ‘Have I been present with my family?’ ‘Have I supported them, not just financially, but really being there with them?’”

Julia adds, touching on Christmas and family traditions, “That’s also why we don’t travel abroad for Christmas. It’s such a special and sacred time to be all together since it doesn't happen the rest of the year. Before, I would cook pa, but now, to spend more time with the family, we just order. But even if it’s a simple cake and pancit, we are all together.”

Saving Herself

When asked about the saving grace of her life, Julia answers with no hesitation: “Siguro, when I was able to invest na in a house for my family. Ang hirap kasi, every month, you think of where to get your rent, my Lola was always thinking of that. Sako lang ’yung dingding ng side ng bahay. So that first night in our own house, the best sleep, the best feeling. And even if we have our own rooms, we all wanted to still sleep together, on the floor!”

Acting not only provided her with an income to support her family, but it was also a means of catharsis and therapy. “There’s this joke that I have with my friends. I won’t cry kung walang bayad, sayang din ’yun! But there’s more to that joke. In my real life, there’s a lot that I can’t show. I have to be strong, for my family. So ang sarap lang to have that good cry! With acting, I get to release my emotions. Although, before, that was my struggle, to let go of my emotions. So I tell Zia Grace, after the scene, just shake it off.”

She also shares with her extremely talented young star the lessons she learned. “She does her research and shows me photos from my early days. I always tell her how lucky she is that there’s someone on set, a child psychologist who is there to help her. We didn’t have those when we were starting out,” Julia says. 

Julia Montes and Zia Grace

Julia Montes with Saving Grace co-stars Sharon Cuneta and Zia Grace

Julia Montes and Sharon Cuneta

Julia is just paying it forward. She treasures the words of wisdom she learned from her beloved seniors. She tells Metro.Style, “Mommy Pie [Cherry Pie Picache] told me that you always have to know your center, to be grounded. Tita Susan (Roces) naman told me that you should tap yourself on the shoulder and know inside yourself that you did well. Kasi, in our business, we always have to get reactions and feedback and you can't wait for someone on the outside to let you know that you’re good. So you should be the one to do that for yourself. And that’s applicable for many things, not just acting.”

Julia acknowledges she is mature beyond her years. “Because I’ve struggled. I’ve seen the lowest of the low. So now, for whatever blessing, small or big, I am so, so grateful,” she reflects. “Sometimes, we are not even able to heal, because we are in denial that we need healing. We need faith, and the support of the special people in our life, to give us that strength to know that we need to heal.”

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Saving Grace is available for streaming on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories. 

Check out Julia Montes' and Sharon Cuneta's Christmas gift recommendations here.

Read our exclusive interview with Sharon Cuneta here.

Photography by Chris Cantos

Sittings editor: Grace Libero-Cruz

Styling by Myrrh Lao To, assisted by Carlie Lajara

Makeup by Harlyn Fernandez

Hairstyling by MJ Rone

Special thanks to Dreamscape Entertainment