Garcia was born on October 7, 1997, in Bauan, Batangas, Philippines. He is the son of Filipino parents Geo Garcia and Marife Espineli. Coming from a broken family, he was raised by his father and his priest uncle alongside his elder sister, Lorenza Mae. He also has three younger paternal half-siblings and two maternal half-siblings.
[2]
He is a dancer and used to be a member of the Batangas cultural dance group, the Sining Kumintang before joining the reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother: All In as one of the 19 housemates who entered the Big Brother house.
2017–2020: Rising popularity and tandem with Julia Barretto
Following the blockbuster success of Vince and Kath and James and his tandem with actress Julia Barretto, they both starred in a string of television and movie projects together. Their tandem made their television debut in an episode of the country's longest-running drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya where they played as teen sweethearts who learn the value of unconditional love at a young age.[9] Their performances was widely praised by the viewers and also dominated the trending topics on Twitter.[10]
Later that year, Garcia starred in his follow-up movie with Barretto in the romantic comedy-drama Love You to the Stars and Back which was a box-office success.[11] His portrayal of Caloy, a teen suffering from leukemia likewise earned himself another round of Best Actor nominations in FAMAS and Luna Awards. His partnership with Barretto in the box office continued in the same year with Unexpectedly Yours where they starred alongside veteran actors Sharon Cuneta and Robin Padilla.
In 2018, Garcia and Barretto starred in the romantic comedy movie I Love You, Hater with Kris Aquino.[13] After four big-screen projects together, they finally made their teleserye debut via the primetime TV series Ngayon at Kailanman which premiered on August that same year.[14]
In 2020, he reunited with Barretto accompanied by an all-star ensemble cast in the zombie film Block Z which was directed by award-winning director Mikhail Red.[16] After his long-standing partnership with Barretto ended, he starred in various episodes of Maalaala Mo Kaya which include an episode entitled "Notebook" where his performance earned him an award for "Best Single Performance by an Actor" in the 35th PMPC Star Awards for Television.
2021–present: Ultimate leading man of his generation
In 2021, he made a return to primetime television and joined the lead cast of the TV series Viral Scandal opposite Charlie Dizon.[17] Later the following year, he starred as the male lead in ABS-CBN's TV adaptation of Mars Ravelo's Darna starring Jane de Leon which also reunited him with Janella Salvador.[18]
Garcia worked with Barretto again after four years in the 2024 romantic drama movie Un/Happy For You, which has become the most successful film of their tandem in the box office. He is set to star in the Philippine adaptation of the South Korean drama It's Okay to Not Be Okay alongside Anne Curtis and Carlo Aquino, which will be streamed on Netflix.
Personal life
Garcia dated actress Julia Barretto after starring in numerous projects together as a love team. Their two-year relationship ended in April 2019. [21]
