Kapamilya actress Julia Montes shared why Saving Grace holds a special place in her heart.

Julia Montes of 'Saving Grace' on Art as a Healing Journey | ABS-CBN Lifestyle

In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, she revealed that it was gifted to her by the late Dreamscape Entertainment head Deo Endrinal before he passed last year.

Saving Grace is set to make its television premiere this March 3 after its successful run on the streaming platform, Prime.

Julia shared that she didn’t choose the series that would mark her return to the small screen. This was one of the reasons it became even more special for her as it was the last project that she talked about with the late Dreamscape Entertainment head.

“Hindi ko siya pinili. Niregalo siya sakin ni sir Deo. It’s a very special project for me dahil before siya mawala, yun yung huli naming project na napagusapan. Every project na ginagawa ko, lagi si sir Deo yung kinoconsult ko,” she shared.

“It’s really a gift for me, this project. Kaya napakaspecial sa akin ng Saving Grace,” she added.

The Kapamilya actress then credited the Filipino values that she grew up with which made it a little easier for her to understand the role she’ll be portraying in the series. Julia plays the role of Anna, an elementary school teacher who kidnaps Grace (played by Zia Grace) after seeing the struggles the latter faced from her mother.

“Kasi tayong mga Pilipino talagang malapit tayo lalo’t-lalo na sa nanay. Bukod sa nanay, may tumatayong nanay sa atin sa trabaho, sa mga kaibigan–– minsan may parang motherly [figure] sa group–– so talagang part ng Filipino culture ang pagmamahal ng isang ina,” she said.

Despite this, Julia admitted there was a scene in the series which made it difficult for her to shoot due to the nature of her character. At first, Anna will show off a nonchalant attitude towards Grace even if she saw evidence of abuse already.

“Nahirapan ako at first because may mga scenes na lalo na yung part na nakita ko yung bata. Yung scene na kung saan ako nag decide na ‘ito na, gagawin ko na ito. Do or die tutulungan ko yung bata.’ Yung part na yun, yung nakita ko na siyang may evidence na sinaktan siya, doon ako pinakanahirapan kasi kailangan yung character ko hindi ako maaffect pero eventually pag nakita mo yung bata in that condition, maapektuhan ka,” she shared.

Saving Grace is directed by FM Reyes and Dolly Dulu and stars Sharon Cuneta, Sam Milby, Elisse Joson, Jennica Garcia, and Christian Bables, among others. The highly-anticipated series will air on the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, and TV5.