But long before she took on fierce and dramatic roles, she was already “playing mother” in the cutest way possible—as a little comedienne in “Goin’ Bulilit,” where she went by her real name, Mara Schnittka.

Since Julia’s primetime comeback has us feeling nostalgic, let’s take a fun throwback to some of her most adorably hilarious moments in the iconic kiddie gag show, where she often portrayed different grown-up roles as a young jokester. Maybe it was her height—since she was taller than most of her castmates—or maybe it was her mature presence that often got young Julia assigned motherly roles in most gags and skits, whether as a clever mom or a loving one, and sometimes even role-playing as a wife.

In this feature, you’ll also find little Julia serving up punchlines about Philippine geography. In one clip, she asked which province in the Philippines has the most guards, then dropped the punchline: “Eh, ‘di Sekyu-hor!” Her comedic moments also included lessons on the do’s and don’ts of Holy Week and a playful exchange with a Senakulo participant.

They say “Goin’ Bulilit” was a training ground for young stars with the potential to make it big in showbiz, and Julia definitely proved she had what it takes. After her stint as a bulilit, she broke into the primetime scene, landing her breakthrough role as the kontrabida to Kathryn Bernardo in the 2010 remake of the ABS-CBN classic “Mara Clara” —kickstarting a career that only kept soaring from there.

By 17, Julia had already captured the nation’s heart with her delicate beauty and depth in acting, which felt far beyond her years. Another career breakthrough came in “Walang Hanggan” (2012), her first teleserye with Coco Martin, which cemented her status as a leading lady and earned her the title Princess of Philippine Television.

She continued to impress in “Muling Buksan ang Puso” (2013) and “Ikaw Lamang” (2014), where her role as Mona earned her a Gawad Tanglaw Award for Best Actress. In 2015, she delivered one of her most ambitious performances yet, playing dual roles in “Doble Kara,” for which she won her second Gawad Tanglaw Best Actress award. The massive success of the series baptized her with the title Daytime Drama Queen, which she lived up to with the afternoon action-drama “Asintado” (2018). After taking a hiatus during the pandemic, she breathed life into Mara, the last love of Cardo Dalisay (Coco Martin), in the final chapter of “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” in 2021.

Now, Julia is making an even bigger primetime comeback with “Saving Grace: The Untold Story,” where she is set to touch viewers’ hearts and conscience as Anna, a dedicated public school teacher determined to save her student, Grace, played by newcomer Zia Grace, from the horrors of abuse at home.