Learn about the former Miss Universe Philippines candidate who was also part of the box-office hit movie’s cast.
For many, Barbie is one of the most highly anticipated movie releases of the year. Those who grew up with the fashion doll and its accompanying media franchise were anticipating seeing her onscreen. Filipinos in particular had something else to look forward to: previews of the movie revealed that one of the characters was wearing the Philippines’ national dress, the terno. This costume is worn by a Filipina-Jewish actress, Ana Cruz Kayne, whose Barbie roles include Supreme Court Barbie among others. The global representation of a revered symbol of Philippine culture and fashion made Barbie trend in the Philippines in the days leading up to the movie’s release.
Yet Barbie continues to hold more surprises: another Filipina was part of the cast. Playing the role of Hippie Barbie is London-based Filipina-French actor, model, and beauty queen Julia Saubier. Get to know more about her below.
She is an academic achiever
In the IMDB that she wrote, she revealed that she self-funded her education through scholarships. She graduated with a BA in Film and New Media Production and Political Science at New York University Abu Dhabi and an MA in Economics and Management with a focus on Chinese Cinema from the Yenching Academy of Peking University in Beijing.
She competed in Binibining Pilipinas and Miss Universe Philippines
Saubier is also a pageant queen, making her bid for Miss Universe twice: First, by joining Binibining Pilipinas in 2019, and then Miss Universe Philippines in 2022. She represented the province of Albay in both instances.
She has appeared in international ads
Apart from competing in pageants, Saubier works as a professional model, being signed with modeling agencies in the Philippines, the UK, and South Africa. She has worked with international brands such as Adidas, Apple, and L’Oreal, among others.
She is trained in Shaolin Kung-Fu and Filipino Martial Arts
When Saubier was living in China, she lived in a monastery in Yunnan province and in a military school in Hennan. Here she trained in Shaolin kung-fu for a year. She then continued training in the Filipino martial art pekiti-tersia kali. She uses her martial arts skills for her roles, as well as in being a professional stuntwoman.
She has worked in superhero movies
Her martial arts training has been put into use most recently in two upcoming superhero movies. She is credited as a stuntwoman in the upcoming movie The Marvels. She also played Coach Satio in the 2022 film Batgirl alongside Leslie Grace (as Batgirl) and Michael Keaton (as Bruce Wayne), which was supposed to be a DC Films and HBO Max original movie but was subsequently canceled due to cost-cutting measures by Warner Bros. Discovery.
