ICYDK: Julia Barretto and Xian Lim are set to star in Bahay na Pula, a horror flick by award-winning director Brillante Mendoza. Completing the cast is Marco Gumabao, who plays the ex-boyfriend of Julia's character.
In the official teaser released by VIVA Films, Julia and Xian play a married couple that moves into an old house. They start hearing *strange* noises after dark, seemingly implying the presence of evil spirits in their new home.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Julia shared that when the idea of the project was pitched to her by Direk Brillantes, she said yes immediately. "The day before pitching, they told me Direk Brillante wanted to pitch a project to me," she recalled. "I didn’t know the story yet. Zero clue, but it was a yes right away for me. I knew that right there and then."
According to her, agreeing to film a horror movie is a step out of her comfort zone.
"It was my first horror film," Julia shared. "At the end of the day, it was trusting your director and trusting yourself. That's the biggest factor why we did what we were supposed to do. It was all about growing, learning, trusting, and believing."
As for Xian, building rapport with his first-time leading lady was of *utmost* importance to him. "Direk Brillante’s material... it would have been different chemistry if all of us knew each other even before. It would have been so much different. It was my first time working with them in one film," the 32-year-old actor shared.
As they were filming the movie, the stars *respected* each other's personal lives and did not feel the need to talk about their romances and relationships. "We didn't feel the need to talk about that aspect of our lives," Julia noted.
Xian added: "We acknowledged there are relationships. We didn't explore each other's personal lives. We pretty much enjoyed each other's company. That was enough."