If there was a hall of fame for love stories that never get old, Daniel and Katerina's tale in the classic ABS-CBN drama "Walang Hanggan" would sure belong in the lineup.
And in a plot twist that feels straight out of a teleserye itself, the actors behind the iconic couple—Coco Martin and Julia Montes—ended up falling in love off-screen. But, unlike the heavy drama of Daniel and Katerina’s relationship, Coco and Julia’s real-life story played out like a cute rom-com.
Fifteen years after first working together as co-leads, the two are now reuniting for another project—only this time, as lovers who are finally out in the open.
Curious how we got from onscreen chemistry to real-life endgame? Well, we're getting into all of it! Let’s look back on the timeline of Coco and Julia’s romance.
The late 2000s
Coco and Julia first met while working in a game show-drama anthology for another network before joining ABS-CBN. "Sobrang batang-bata pa siya," he reminisced. She added, "Maganda 'yung kuwento namin kasi nag-start way, way back talaga, hindi lang sa ABS-CBN. And then ang daming mga close encounters na hindi mo akalain na nandito kami ngayon, together."
And then they were cast in the Kapamilya afternoon series "Ligaw Na Bulaklak" in 2008. Julia appeared in flashback sequences as the younger version of Ara Mina’s character, while Coco was part of the present-day storyline, so they never got to share scenes together.
Chance encounters in 2011
They crossed paths again at a Dreamscape Entertainment party, around 2011, back when the production unit was handling both of their separate projects—"Mara Clara" for Julia and "Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin" for Coco.
By this time, Coco admitted that the way he looked at Julia had started to change. "Nakita ko siya noon, sabi ko, 'Aba, dalagang dalaga na. Tapos pumaparty-party na.' Parang that time, parang hindi ko na siya gaanong crush. Kasi nga, parang feeling ko nagiging party girl," he laughed. "So, ‘yun ang tingin ko sa kanya ha. Tapos hindi ako gaanong pinapansin."
But fate had sense of humor. Because that same year, they got the same clothing brand endorsement and even walked the runway together during a fashion show. "Magkasama kami na rumampa. Sabi ko nung rarampa kami sa stage, ang taas-taas ng heels niya. Eh, alam n'yo naman hindi ako gaanong katangkaran. Sabi ko, 'Grabe ha?'" he joked, while Julia laughed beside him as he narrated the memory. "Awkward talaga. Ang tangkad-tangkad niya, ang liit-liit ko."
But even then, they kept their interactions brief and casual, "'Hi', 'Hello' lang."
“Walang Hanggan” era in 2012
Coco picked Julia as his leading lady for the ABS-CBN drama "Walang Hanggan," which started airing in January 2012. "Nung nagkasama kami sa 'Walang Hanggan,' actually, personally, ako talaga 'yung namili sa kan'ya. Ako 'yung nagsabi kay Sir Deo [Endrinal], 'Sana maka-partner ko si Julia.'"
The series "Walang Hanggan" was inspired by the 1991 Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta starrer "Hihintayin Kita sa Langit," where the lead female and male characters were written with an intentional age gap, which Coco believed suited his chemistry with Julia perfectly.
Besides, Julia's performance in "Mara Clara" was a big factor in wanting to work with her. "Nu'ng nagma-‘Mara Clara’ siya, ang galing galing niya doon, sobra. At lahat ng mga tao talagang pinupuri siya, kaya sabi ko, sana makasama ko siya," Coco dished.
Looking back, Coco is grateful to the late Dreamscape Entertainment head Deo Endrinal for granting his request to work with Julia in "Walang Hanggan," which he described as "dito nagsimula ang lahat."
While Coco personally requested the pairing, he admitted he wasn’t warm toward Julia at first. "Nagsimula kami, hindi kami okay. Talagang sinusungitan ko siya no'n kasi nga feeling ko sa kan'ya parang yumabang no'ng 'Mara Clara' dahil nga sikat na sikat sila."
"Sabi ko, 'Parang masyado na 'tong party girl.' Gano'n 'yung dating. Ako, kasi medyo makaluma ako, eh. Gusto ko professional, maayos ang trabaho. Siya, feeling ko happy-happy, the usual kabataan."
"And then habang nagte-take kami, hindi niya rin ako gusto kasi feeling niya napakasungit ko... After take, hiwalay, hindi kami nag-uusap," he recalled.
Eventually, the awkwardness started spilling into their dynamic as co-actors, "Lagi ko siyang kino-correct. Sabi ko, 'Juls, 'di ko nararamdmaan 'yung eksena natin.' Siya naman galit na galit sa akin noon."
Little did Julia know, Coco's 'pagsusungit' was actually intentional, "Nagpapapansin lang ako sa kan'ya," which worked well, as Julia slowly found herself getting drawn to him. At one point, a writer from the series had to intervene to break the awkwardness and asked Julia if she had a crush on Coco, to which she reportedly answered, “Crush, kaso lang masungit, eh.” When Coco found out that she was starting to like him back, he changed his 'ligaw' style and softened up, “Bumait na ako sa kanya.”
15 years later...
Coco and Julia, or CocoJul to their fans, eventually went public with their relationship in 2023, reportedly 12 years after they first started dating. Looking back, they both shared that one of the “secret ingredients” to their long-lasting relationship is how they’ve chosen to protect it over the years
As Coco put it, “Pribado kasi kami talaga, eh. Kung ano man ‘yung kinukuwento namin, kinukuwento na lang namin kasi past na. Masarap na lang balikan.”
He also believes their solid teamwork is another key to their partnership. “Nagsusuportahan kami, nagtutulungan kami,” he said, adding that in all aspects of his life, Julia has been the one taking care of him—from his daily routine to even the smallest details of what he eats and wears. "Pinagtibay namin 'yung relasyon namin kasi waa namang ibang magtutulungan kung hindi kami, eh.”
As creative partners in "Sigabo"
That partnership now extends to their upcoming series "Sigabo," following Coco’s successful run in "FPJ's Batang Quiapo." While Julia takes care of Coco’s needs behind the camera, Coco acts as her guide on set, as she's admittedly nervous about the project, considering the adjustments in play.
Here, Coco isn't just her co-actor but also her director. But, being the mature and passionate individuals and artists they are, they've learned how to balance their dynamic. In Julia's words, "Ang maganda sa amin, tulungan talaga kami. Kung saan kailangan ng alalay ng isa, doon talaga sumusuporta 'yung isa."
Their partnership has evolved behind the scenes as well, with Julia now involved as one of the show's producers. "'Yung mga bagay na hindi na kaya ng katawan ko, like sa mga finances... pagdating sa money matters, si Juls 'yan,” Coco detailed. Outside of "Sigabo," the two also work together on their small business ventures.
"Napakasarap sa pakiramdam na kaming dalawa 'yung magkasama na lumalaban sa buhay," he said, and Julia agreed with a smile.
Stay tuned for CocoJul's action-packed and kilig adventures in "Sigabo," soon on ABS-CBN.
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Throwback: Coco Martin and Julia Montes as Daniela and Katerina in “Walang Hanggan” (2012)
Throwback: Coco Martin as Ronel in "Ligaw Na Bulaklak" (2008)
Throwback: Kathryn Bernardo and Julia Montes in “Mara Clara”