There was a time when CocoJul fans survived on 'crumbs.' Seeing even the smallest interaction between Coco Martin and Julia Montes was enough to spark ‘kilig’ and keep everyone guessing. The two were known for being notoriously private, staying mum about their real-life romance until 2023, when they confirmed that they had been dating for more than a decade.
Now that they're being more open with the public, they let fans enjoy the sweet stories and behind-the-scenes memories. After they dissected the timeline of their relationship in a previous CCM Film Production video on YouTube, Julia now goes solo for a moment to look back at old reels of her and Coco.
Clip 1: "Happy birthday, Kuya Coco!"
Just on the first throwback, Julia is already fighting her ‘kilig’ watching her 2011-self greet Coco: “Happy, happy birthday, Kuya Coco! Alam ko maraming, maraming blessings na dumating sa’yo, and continue mo lang ‘yun na humble ka pa rin. Sana maka-work kita soon.” Laughing and cringing at herself, she reacts, "Kuya Coco?!" then explains that she's simply fond of calling her colleagues “kuya” or “ate” as a sign of respect.
But in Coco’s case, there was actually another reason behind it. “Para hindi rin halatang crush mo, siyempre, ‘kuyahin’ mo! ‘Yun ang technique, guys!” she jokes.
Around that period, Julia was already aware of the possibility of them working together in "Walang Hanggan" (which started airing in January 2012). "Pumapasok na 'yung "Oh my gosh! Magkakasama kami ulit!'" she reveals, adding that they had already known each other way, way back after getting cast in the several projects together.
Clip 2: "Kinukulit niya ako!"
Mid-2011 was Julia’s "Mara Clara" era, while Coco was busy with "Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin." As part of the promotions for the Kapamilya primetime lineup, the cast members of these shows, along with the stars of "May Bukas Pa," went on an international concert tour.
And as seen in the second footage, a rehearsal recording from one of their performances, Coco was already noticeably showing interest in Julia back then. “Kinukulit lang naman niya ako nang mga moment na ’yan, so, as a girl lang ako d’yan,” Julia shares. “Dahil nga magkatrabaho na kami way, way back, meron na kaming mga banter talaga, mga biruan, ganyan.”
Clip 3: "Medyo masungit si Coco!"
While that batch of ABS-CBN primetime stars was on tour, they were simultaneously shooting parts of the Kapamilya Christmas ID 2011. Out of all the memories she could’ve kept from that shoot, what Julia remembers is, "Medyo masungit talaga si Coco." This matches Coco's previous confession that he intentionally acted 'masungit' toward her to make 'papansin.'
Julia adds that she and her "Mara Clara" co-star Kathryn Bernardo considered it a big deal to take part in the Christmas ID, especially since they were sharing a frame with Coco, who was already being built up as one of ABS-CBN's biggest leading men.
"Sa amin ni Kathryn, ang sarap sa pakiramdam na mapasama sa Christmas Station ID tapos siyempre kasama namin si Coco Martin, so nu'ng moment na 'yun, parang happy lang," recalls Julia.
Clip 4: Officially CocoJul
And then "Walang Hanggan" happened. While watching a behind-the-scenes clip from their poster shoot, Julia is all smiles reminiscing, "Ako naman ’yung mataray d’yan. Nu’ng time na ’yan, ako naman ’yung seryoso tapos siya naman ’yung natatawa.”
Clip 5: "Pwede bang ikaw?"
Julia also commemorates her 'Cinderella' moment during her grand 18th birthday celebration, where she personally asked Coco to be her escort. This happened in 2013. "Walang Hanggan" had already ended airing, and they had just finished their first movie together, "A Moment In Time."
But according to Julia, plans for the big party had been brewing as early as their "Walang Hanggan" days. "Siyempre in-invite ko na sina Tita Susan [Roces], Tita Helen [Gamboa], lahat ng cast. Tapos tinatanong nila, 'Sinong escort mo?' Hindi ako makasagot kasi nahihiya rin akong alukin [si Coco] na parang, 'Pwede bang ikaw maging escort ko?'"
"Tapos nagkaroon ng biruan, parang nag-joke siya na, 'Kung hindi ako, magtatampo ako.' So, parang na-pressure na ako na, 'Oo nga.' Kung nag-ganun na siya, baka naman pwede ko talaga siyang i-invite na kung pwedeng siya 'yung maging escort ko," she opens up.
Clip 6: Malamang komang!
The final video will sure make you believe that 'manifesting' is real. It’s an old interview of Coco and Julia, where Coco once said, “Malamang komang magkakatuluyan kami nito sa dulo,” a line that made Julia laugh then—and still does now. Apparently, there was already 'something' between them at that point, but they chose to keep it private.
“Hindi rin namin alam how to share our story,” she explains. “’Yan ’yung time na parang, what you see is what you get naman, eh.”
“And I think ‘yung malamang komang na ’yun… nangyari na.”
Now maybe we can all start attracting a love story like this for ourselves… and maybe looking forward to their upcoming series “Sigabo” might just help boost that manifestation energy.
Watch out for "Sigabo"on Kapamilya Channel sa ALLTV2, A2Z, iWant, and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL).
From ‘masungit’ to meant-to-be: A timeline of how Coco Martin and Julia Montes’ love story started
Kissing scene with Julia Montes on the pilot episode of “Sigabo”? Here’s what Coco Martin revealed
How ABS-CBN has inspired, touched our hearts with its soul-stirring Christmas IDs through the years
THROWBACK: Julia Montes as Katerina in “Walang Hanggan” (2012)