Anne promises: “Iingatan ko yung pag-portray ko dito to give it justice”
Anne Curtis feels that taking the lead role for the Philippine adaptation of South Korea’s hit “It’s Okay Not To Be Okay” is very much worthy of her time and effort.
Anne faced the media together with her co-leads, Carlo Aquino, Joshua Garcia, and the creative team behind: creative producer Henry King Quitain and director Mae Cruz-Alviar at a press conference held on Friday, May 17, 2024.
It’s been 10 years since Anne last headlined a Kapamilya teleserye in 2014 via “Mars Ravelo’s Dyesebel,” and it is only fitting to do her return via “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” for one particular reason.
She says, “It’s definitely worth it. Alam mo yun, siguro hindi naman ako mag-a-accept ng isang project if I didn’t feel it was worth leaving my family for a little bit to shoot. When they offered this to me, it was an instant yes, because I love the original, and I couldn’t let it pass.”
Screengrab from Star Magic on Facebook
As a matter of fact, when Anne finished watching the original series, she immediately expressed her interest in doing the role and made sure that they secure the pertinent licenses to do a Philippine adaptation.
She recalls, “The moment I watched the series in 2021, I actually called VIVA, my manager [Veronique del Rosario-Corpus] and asked her, ‘Ate, kung magbabalik ako sa series, parang I think I would like to do ‘It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.’ Can VIVA check if we can get the rights for it?’”
A week after that, Anne received the anticipated good news—with the prospect already brought to care of ABS-CBN.
On top of the plot, Anne also took notice of how the series evokes storytelling through fashion—and much of what they will showcase in the series have been discussed already with the director.
How does Anne Curtis plan to approach her role?
Heavy themes of mental health wrapped in a rather dark and twisted narrative have been the central plot of “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.” With the weighty demands on Anne’s shoulders, she plans on going through her character with care.
She says, “As we know, the series itself tackles different aspects of mental health, and my character has antisocial personality disorder so, of course, that will be her journey.
“And you can expect me doing my best in portraying my character with utmost care. Iingatan ko yung pag-portray ko dito to give it justice.”
IMAGE: annecurtissmith on Instagram
When it comes to worries, Anne says she has none. But on a more serious note, she promises that through the series, they hopefully get to break the stigma and raise more awareness on mental health.
The Philippine remake of “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” was first announced during the ABS-CBN Christmas Special in 2023. It will be based on the story of Moon Gang Tae, a community health worker who will develop an admiration with Ko Moon-Young—a children’s book author with antisocial tendencies.
For the local adaptation, Anne’s name will be Emilia “Mia” Hernandez. Joshua will play Pat-Pat while Carlo will assume the role of Mat-Mat.
The series will run on Netflix, but an airing date is yet to be announced.
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