ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider Julia Barretto returns on her own terms

Julia Barretto returns on her own terms

Published Jul 26, 2026 04:53 pm

Julia Barretto walked away just when everyone expected her to keep going.

"Un/Happy For You" was one of 2024's biggest local hits. Another movie should have followed. It never came.

Not because there weren't offers. There were plenty. But Julia passed.

For months, she kept a low profile. Apart from the occasional paparazzi photo and persistent chatter about her personal life, the actress was largely AWOL. No new films. No major interviews. No announcement about what would come next.

So, when Regal Entertainment announced that she would star in "Haunted Carnival," one of this year's Metro Manila Film Festival entries, people were quick to notice. One of the industry's most dependable leading ladies was finally returning, this time in a horror spectacle alongside Maricel Soriano, John Arcilla, James Reid, and an ensemble cast that immediately sparked curiosity.

But the questions lingered: Why Regal? Why horror? Why now?

When we caught up with Julia during a recent gathering at Regal Entertainment's office, she admitted the break lasted longer than she had planned.

"I was just happy with the success of 'Un/Happy For You' and I wanted a break. But yeah, maybe I enjoyed myself a bit too much that it took some time," she said, laughing.

The pause, apparently, was deliberate.

"There were actually several projects that were offered to me at the time. But I felt like at this point, I want my work to be intentional. I want something that would make me feel like I've accomplished something new, something fresh, something that speaks to me as an artist."

Her search for the right project eventually led to a huge decision.

Julia is now charting her own path, having gone independent after parting ways with her management and opening herself up to opportunities across the industry.

She is quick to stress that the decision was never personal.

"Let me get this straight. I am and will always be grateful for the people I've worked with in the past. They've nurtured me, protected me, and allowed me to grow.

"So yeah, I'm still open to working with them or anybody for that matter. Star Magic, Viva, Regal, anyone."

Obviously, freedom, for Julia, is not about closing doors. It is about opening more of them.

That freedom led her to Regal Entertainment, a studio synonymous with some of Philippine cinema's most enduring horror films.

"Yeah, I was kind of surprised when they offered the story to me because I haven't done horror for some time. And of course, they're known for really huge horror films, so yeah, I'm quite excited."

"Haunted Carnival" follows 14 strangers trapped inside a retro-themed carnival where every attraction becomes a fight for survival. Supernatural forces lurk behind every brightly lit ride, turning a place built for fun into a deadly maze.

For Julia, however, the biggest draw wasn't just the story.

It was the people she would be sharing the screen with.

She is, after all, joining industry veterans Maricel and John, actors whose body of work she has admired for years.

"It's my first time working with her and I'm just so excited for that too. I feel like I would learn a lot working with her," Julia said of Maricel.

Intimidated?

"No naman because, to be honest, she made a huge effort not to make me feel intimidated, which is nice."

Julia's relationship with horror has also changed.

She wasn't a fan of the genre growing up. That only shifted after working with Brillante Mendoza on the 2022 psychological horror film "Bahay na Pula."

"The thing is, iba siya from what you see on screen. Enjoyable siya on set, you learn a lot, and that's something important to me."

That experience prepared her for what she calls one of the most physically demanding projects of her career.

"The thing I like most about 'Haunted Carnival' is that more than the usual jump scares and the gore, it has a lot of action sequences that require a lot from the actors. So that's exciting."

The film also marks another return.

"I'm excited to be part of this year's MMFF. I've been part of the MMFF several times in the past and I'm just so happy because I feel like working on Christmas Day is such a huge blessing."

Julia could have returned months ago.

But she chose not to.

She was not looking for just another project. She was looking for the right one.

Related Tags

Julia Barretto Julia Barretto comeback Haunted Carnival MMFF 2026 Regal Entertainment James Reid Maricel Soriano John Arcilla Julia Barretto interview Julia Barretto new movie
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.