A lot has been said and written about Ngayon at Kailanman, especially its being a career milestone for its two lead stars, Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia.
As a hit love team without an actual major TV project together, “JoshLia” now has reached great lengths with this primetime teleserye, entering the blockbuster leagues of such tandems as KathNiel, JaDine, and LizQuen.
But more than the hype, we are actually witnessing an evolution in their thespic craft.
In the continuing saga of Eva (Julia) and Inno (Joshua) with the #NAKMalingAkala episode on August 23, we now see them as young adults each with their own bouts of ordeals and difficulties. She, facing a litany of hardships yet determined to outlast them and prevail, and he, encountering burdensome pressure in proving his worth as an up and coming jewelry magnate.
Yet in one stroke of fate, they meet, although not in the most heartwarming situations they normally get into, such as those in their box office hit romcom movies. Eva would unwittingly run-off with Inno’s phone, chasing a fraudster who took jewelry she sold with fake cash. Inno would then haul her to the police station to file charges for that mistaken assumption, yet was persuaded not to pursue it, heeding to Eva’s policeman friend’s pleas vouching for her innocence.
They would then go on separate ways and again tread their own grueling paths.
Until, fate again would bring them together in yet another awkward moment.
We all know her as one who portrays the “IT” girl, eventually succumbing to the lure of romance. But here, Julia takes on a role she never quite played in her sparkling acting journey so far. In the initial chapter, she is street-smart, financially challenged, and a “raketeer” who would do anything
to earn, keep and savor every peso.
With this immense departure, Julia truly made solid marks in terms of acting chops. Obviously inculcating the everyday sojourn of the common folk, she gives due credence and sincerity to the character she portrays.
On the other hand, the already recognized brilliant actor Joshua gets to another plain with his remarkable portrayal of a perfectionist, astute, disciplined rich young man yet troubled with meeting the expectations of a demanding and unreasonable mother Stella.
Joshua fits into the character perfectly, despite being known to play unassuming boy-next-door type personas with unfathomable situations to deal with. Again, the dramatic wonder boy of his generation makes a deeply felt characterization that will continue to move us.
Joshua and Julia are indeed making exceptional progress as actors ready to take on roles that we really don’t expect them to portray. And in Ngayon at Kailanman, more than feeling the kilig vibes of JoshLia, we see two actors really serious about their craft.