Julia Montes
Mara Hautea Schnittka, known professionally as Julia Montes, is a Filipino actress. Known for playing strong female characters and romantic leads in a range of genres across film and television, she has received various accolades, including a FAMAS Award, two Gawad Tanglaw Awards, a PMPC Star Awards for Movies and a Box Office Entertainment Award. Yes! magazine named her one of the most influential celebrities in Philippine entertainment.
Montes is dubbed as The Philippines' Prime Actress. Known for her versatility and depth in acting, Montes has earned critical acclaim and commercial success in both television dramas and films. Montes continues to be a prominent figure in Philippine entertainment, balancing commercial appeal with critically acclaimed performances. Her consistent portrayal of complex and relatable characters has solidified her place among the country’s most respected actresses, often regarded as the premier primetime actress in the Philippines.
Montes made her screen debut on GMA Network's Sana ay Ikaw na Nga as a child actress and appeared in several television commercials. After her transfer in ABS-CBN, she initially played young versions of characters in several television series such as Hiram, Ligaw Na Bulaklak, I Love Betty La Fea and eventually became part of the gag show, Goin' Bulilit. She spent the next few years playing supporting roles in various anthology shows and finally gained widespread recognition as Clara del Valle in the remake of Mara Clara. It was followed by the teen drama series, Growing Up.
Montes rose to stardom after being paired with Coco Martin in the series Walang Hanggan, as Katerina Alcantara, for which she was hailed as the Princess of Philippine Television at the 44th GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards. She has since established herself as one of her generation's most successful actresses in Philippine television, starring in a few more top-rating soap operas, most notable being Ikaw Lamang for which she won a Gawad Tanglaw Award for Best Actress, Doble Kara for which she won her second Gawad Tanglaw Award for Best Actress, Asintado and 24/7.
In films, she made her debut in the family drama Way Back Home. It was followed by the romantic drama A Moment in Time, as Jillian Linden, for which she was nominated for the FAMAS Award for Best Actress, and the romantic horror Halik sa Hangin, as Mia Generoso, for which she earned a nomination for the Young Critics Circle Award for Best Performance. Other notable appearances include the romantic comedy The Reunion, the horror adventure The Strangers, the independent drama Padre de Familia and romantic-drama Five Breakups and a Romance.
Early life and background
Montes was born Mara Hautea Schnittka on March 19, 1995, in Pandacan, Manila, Philippines, to a Filipino mother, Gemma Hautea, and German father, Martin Schnittka. Schnittka left them when Montes was still a baby, and only her deaf mother raised her with the help of her grandmother, Flory Hautea. She has two younger brothers, Patrick and Paolo. She describes education as one of the tools to have a good life and she hopes to continuously work not just for herself but for her family as well. Montes has other relatives in Germany. In 2011, she finished high school with good grades at the Blessed Hope Christian School.At the age of 5, Montes began attending auditions and modeling agencies. She recalls the struggles she and her grandmother went through: commuting to castings, hurrying from school to shoots and missing a lot of family time in the process until she was cast in a milk brand, chocolate snack and fast food chain endorsements. However, she said she never competed with anyone and was just in the entertainment industry out of needs. Describing her ambitions as a child, Montes has said, "Since I was a child, I only had three dreams: to become a soldier, a chef and a flight attendant."
Career
2001–2010: Career beginnings
Montes started as a commercial model before appearing in various television shows. She began her acting career with minor roles when she was cast in a number of GMA shows such as Sana ay Ikaw na Nga in 2001 as the daughter of actors Robin Da Rosa and Angelu de Leon, and in some episodes of the now defunct drama anthology Magpakailanman. Montes went on to play guest roles on ABS-CBN's television shows such as Hiram and Maalaala Mo Kaya before landing a permanent spot in the kiddie gag show Goin' Bulilit in 2005.She also appeared in other television series in 2008 including Ligaw na Bulaklak and I Love Betty La Fea. These parts led her to being cast as a series regular in Goin' Bulilit in which she played various roles in different comedic situations until her departure that year. Also that year, Montes, as Abby, starred in a Maalaala Mo Kaya episode titled "Card", a story of a girl who is longing for the love of her parents while under the care of a nursemaid. The following year, she appeared in Katorse with a guest role in the series' finale episode playing a shy girl Nellie. She was then cast as the teenage Mara, a character with her same name, in the youth-oriented show Gimik 2010.
2010–2013: Breakthrough
In 2010, Montes' breakthrough role came when she portrayed the role of Clara del Valle / Clara David in the remake of Emil Cruz, Jr.'s longest-running classic soap opera Mara Clara, a drama about teenage sibling rivalry, alongside her co-star and off-screen best friend Kathryn Bernardo. Montes changed her screen name from "Mara Montes" to "Julia Montes" to avoid confusion and complications, since the titular character Mara will be played by Bernardo. The finale episode of the series earned a 43.4% national ratings based on Kantar Media, making it the highest-rating teleserye episode to date aired on ABS-CBN that year. Montes' portrayal as the main antiheroine of the series received generally positive reviews and landed her lead roles in films and television series in her future projects.In 2011, Montes made her film debut in the family drama Way Back Home, which opened in August 2011 to positive reviews, as Jessica "Jessie" Lorraine S. Santiago, alongside Mara Clara co-star Kathryn Bernardo. Montes garnered largely positive reviews by critics, with Abby Mendoza of Philippine Entertainment Portal writing, "One should applaud Julia Montes for deviating from the classic snotty, mean girl character who makes life miserable for the downtrodden Mara. It is Julia's strength to gain the sympathy of the audience while playing the angsty girl who harbors much pain. She has the ability to make her audience understand the pain her character is going through, and more importantly make them see where it is coming from. Julia was astounding." That same year, she worked with Bernado for the third time in the youth-oriented show entitled Growing Up, in which she portrayed the role of Samantha "Tammy" Magtoto, the daughter of an OFW who entrusted his care to Mikaella Dimalanta.
In 2012, greater success came to Montes when she starred with Coco Martin in the romantic drama series Walang Hanggan. The critically acclaimed series is loosely based on the 1991 film Hihintayin Kita sa Langit, a film based on the Emily Brontë classic novel, Wuthering Heights. Walang Hanggan features the undying love that revolves around characters from three different generations – the love triangle among Virginia, Margaret, and Joseph; the ill-fated lovers Marco and Emily; and young sweethearts Daniel and Katerina. The series includes Martin as Daniel Guidotti, Richard Gomez as Marco Montenegro, Dawn Zulueta as Emily Guidotti, Susan Roces as Virginia "Henya" Cruz, Helen Gamboa as Doña Margaret Montenegro, and Montes, as Katerina Alcantara. This also marks the first on-screen team-up of Martin and Montes, and the reunion project of eternal loveteam Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta. Writing for Philippine Entertainment Portal, Mark Angelo Ching considered Montes' decision to jump to a mature role after playing a teenager in Mara Clara seemingly to be a "gamble" at first, but all doubts are dispelled once she is seen holding her own against Martin, and believed that her "natural naïveté" works against the mature outlook of the actor's character.
The series and Montes' performance both earned widespread acclaim from critics as it maintained the top spot and dominated the viewers' ratings for most of its run, being the only Philippine drama of 2012 to exceed the 40% margin in ratings. The finale episode of the show garnered a 45.4% viewership rating nationwide. Walang Hanggan emerged as the most watched show during the second half of 2012, ruling the list with a whopping national TV rating of 38.4% based on Kantar Media. Due to the series' phenomenal success, Walang Hanggan was aired internationally in foreign countries along with Ina, Kapatid, Anak and Be Careful With My Heart. The series earned Montes the title of "Phenomenal Primetime Princess;" eventually she was named as the "Princess of Philippine Television" during the 44th Box Office Entertainment Awards. Martin, on the other hand, acquired the title "Prince of Philippine Television". For their rapport in Walang Hanggan, Montes and Martin also placed 2nd as the most popular loveteams at the 4th FMTM Awards.
Montes then starred in other two 2012 films, as Ligaya in The Reunion, and as Pat in The Strangers. With nationwide revenues of over ₱68.1 million for the former, the film remains her highest-grossing release. In 2013, Montes starred in the romantic drama A Moment in Time alongside Martin, as a follow-up success of their preeminent team-up in Walang Hanggan. The film grossed over ₱64,543,391 nationwide, and Montes received her first nomination for the FAMAS Award for Best Actress. Jennifer Dugena of Philippine Entertainment Portal praised her performance, writing: "Julia plays the part with exquisitely combined innocence and maturity. She is perfect as a young woman coming-of-age to the truths and facts of life. Her vulnerability and strength shines through as she submits herself to the emotional machinations inflicted by Martin's character Patrick. Her emotions are solid, intense and very affecting. Her acting chops slices away any doubts about her ability to portray young or adult characters. Talent-wise, she is clearly way ahead of her contemporaries."
Later in 2013, she appeared in a Maalaala Mo Kaya episode titled "Krus", a story about a girl named Diana who was sold to a prostitution den by her own foster mother at a young age of 15. The episode drew a nationwide audience share of 34.2%, making it the No. 1 most watched program on March 9, according to data from Kantar Media. That same year, Montes co-starred with Enchong Dee and Enrique Gil in another television series Muling Buksan ang Puso which centers on the themes of forgiveness and second chances. Montes portrayed the role of Sarah Beltran, a role which she said in an interview was "tailor-fit" for her real age. The series ranked 10th in Top 15 programs from January to December 2013.