If you are into horror movies, you may have seen Netflix’s “Fear Street.” But did you know that one of the lead stars of this trilogy is the Filipino American actress Julia Rehwald?
Julia plays the roles of Kate in “Fear Street Part One: 1994” and Lizzie, in “Fear Street Part Three: 1666.”
In an interview on GMA Pinoy TV’s Global Pinoy Unlimited, the young actress revealed that the movies were filmed two years ago, but she can still remember how she scored the coveted role which officially marked her cinematic debut.
“It was kind of crazy. I don't think I fully understood what it was. It just felt too big to be real. Going from like having my restaurant job and two weeks later, I was like in Atlanta getting ready to film and it was such a whirlwind,” she reminisced.
Julia’s mother is a Filipina and her father is an American. "If you scroll to the bottom of my Instagram, I have a baby picture with my mom and I have “Mana sa Nanay” [as] the caption and I really love whenever I get messages and people send love from the Philippines and have a little flag.”
She said she had never thought that she would pursue acting as a career. But her family has helped her realized that she has big potential as an actress.
"Theater and acting have always been my hobby as a kid-- like extracurricular activity. None of us thought I was going to try to actually pursue it as a career. I think my mom actually came around first and she was very supportive of it surprisingly. And then my dad was very hesitant because they were like, “You are academically very strong. You have very good grades.” But then I think it was my ball play senior year, we did Romeo and Juliet and after opening night, my dad was like ‘Yes, you can do this. We support you.’”
Given the chance to do a film, she said that she would be glad to do a role representing her Filipino heritage. She is also looking forward to producing her own film or do a movie scene in the Philippines.
“Eventually, when my career gets serious I want to be able to produce stories that are focused on Filipino American stories. I guess it was kind of hard growing up and watching TV because there's not a whole bunch of Filipino representation.”
Broadway actress-singer Lea Salonga was one Julia’s inspirations. “She was a big driving force for me realizing that you can pursue acting and make it happen. I really am hoping that we can move into the direction where we have more characters that are inherently Filipino,” she explained.
Julia also supports the “Black Lives Matter” Movement and the “Stop Asian Hate” campaign.
“In New York, we had a lot of local groups coming together to support the community to keep people safe and to help support local businesses that were struggling. So I would try to do what I could to help out there. I'm also the type like if I see something happening to someone else, it is easy for me to step in and say something.”
Julia also encourages other aspiring Filipino actors to believe in themselves and make their dreams a reality.
“It's kind of a crazy industry, but I think that if you have the talent, if you have the drive and the work ethic, do it,” she said.
Watch real Pinoy success stories on "Global Pinoy Unlimited" on GMA Pinoy TV! For more information on how to watch it overseas, subscribe now! Visit www.gmapinoytv.com/subscribe for more details!
