The Frank Diary of Anne

You’re dead wrong if you size up Anne Curtis based on that playful cellphone video of her and Richard Gutierrez kissing.

"Am I a playgirl?" Anne asks. "No, I’m not! I’m easy to get along with but I’m not easy to get."

Half-Australian (father side) and half-Filipino (mother side), Anne, who turned 22 last Feb. 17, has been in showbiz since she was 12. In the past 10 years, she has done a few movies (starting with Neo Films’ Magic Kingdom), three major soaps (Hiram, Kampanerang Kuba and the ongoing Maging Sino Ka Man, all for ABS-CBN) and endorsed several companies (including The Belo Medical Clinic).

"How would I assess the past 10 years? Everything is going well. It’s safe to take everything slowly but surely. I’m happy with the pace."

She comes from a big brood, nine children in all. Anne has two siblings and three each from her parents’ second marriages.

In her latest movie, Star Cinema’s Ang Cute ng Ina Mo! (with Ai-Ai de las Alas in the title role), Anne plays a girl estranged from her mother (Ai-Ai). She’s moving heaven and earth to stop her mom from marrying her dad.

"It’s a relief," Anne says of the movie. "It’s a light comedy. After doing drama in Maging Sino Ka Man (the ABS-CBN soap), this movie comes as a welcome breather. I can identify with my role because I play a girl who speaks with an Australian accent. The character is very much like me. My (real) mom and I also went through a tampuhan period. You see, when I had my first boyfriend here, he kind of took over from my mom in some aspects. I was 16 then. Instead of my mom, it was my boyfriend who would take me to the mall and she kind of resented it. I guess that happens between mothers and daughters at some point in their relationship."

What can you say about your image as a playgirl?

"Well, I guess that’s the lingering misconception about me for five years now. I’ve learned to live with it, but I want to prove people wrong who believe that big lie. They say that I have two boyfriends at the same time but that never happened, I swear. I go on dates, yes, but at the end of the day I’m just a normal teenager."

Are you a one-man woman?

"Yes, I am."

Faithful to one?

"Yes, definitely! If ever I have feelings for someone else, I’ll break up with my boyfriend first before entertaining a suitor. I never cheat. I believe in karma."

How many boyfriends have you had so far?

"I started having a boyfriend at 16. That was six years ago. I have had only three boyfriends. First was Oyo (Sotto), followed by Richard (Gutierrez) and then Paolo (Araneta)."

Oh, that means Luis Manzano (with her in Ang Cute ng Ina Mo!) and Sam Milby (her co-star in Maging Sino Ka Man) are not in the honor roll.

"I dated Luis for about three months. Lagi kaming nauudlot; hindi kami natutuloy. With Sam, we’re into the getting-to-know-you stage. I think he’s really a nice guy. But I don’t think there’s enough time for us to hang out and get to know each other better."

Who usually initiates the break-up, you or the guy?

"So far, out of three, two times I initiated the break-up. With Oyo, it was more because of my desire to enjoy myself muna. With Richard, oh, he broke up with me. With Paolo, I did because I realized that I was being unfair in terms of time. I hardly had time for him."

Of the three, who’s the best kisser?

"I would have to say...Richard! Ha, ha, ha!"

And the worst?

"No, none of them was bad."

How much of you is Australian and how much is Filipino?

"Well, I have to say that I am more Filipino now. The only thing that’s Australian about me is my childhood and my accent. Since I live here now, I’m more Filipina. When I go back to Australia, it seems that I’m learning things all over again."

How long did you live in Melbourne?

"I was born and raised in Melbourne. I came here when I was 12 and I finished Grade Seven here. I shuttle back and forth yearly. I’m in fourth year high school at the College of Mount Carmel in Parañaque. I plan to enter college in Australia. The course? I’m still trying to decide. Maybe I’ll take up either nursing or a course in early education. I want to be a pre-school teacher."

What was your childhood like in Melbourne?

"We live on the outskirts of Melbourne, in the countryside. Away from modern living. I had a happy childhood. I rode my bike to school and I enjoyed doing the daily household chores. It was so much fun."

Are you any different from typical Filipino girls because you grew up in Australia?

"Hmmmm. Not really. You know, when you’re a girl, whether you’re in Australia or in the Philippines, you daydream and you have crushes. What I notice is that parents here in the Philippines are more strict with their daughters playing outside. Not so in Australia. I don’t think Filipino girls here are given the opportunity to be independent. You don’t see girls here biking to school, do you?"

What are your views about pre-marital sex?

"I have nothing against people who indulge in it. But if you do feel giving ‘it’ up to someone, make sure that that someone respects you, respects your values, and he’s not just after ‘that’."

Living-in...

"Well, it’s something that you know, after living-in, what else would you look forward to when you get married? When you decide to get married, wala nang element of surprise."

Dating.

"It’s good. It gives you a chance to meet as many guys as you can. The better for you and the guy to get to know each other."

Would you make the first move if you like the guy?

"It depends on how the guy is acting. If he’s my best friend and I know how he feels for me but he’s too shy to speak up, yes, I will make the first move."

What type of guys do you prefer?

"Smart guys because I like to have decent, lively conversations. I don’t like guys who can’t go beyond the, you know, kilig effect, and who can’t say something better than ‘I miss you!’ I hate it!"

When you do a kissing scene, what do you require of your leading man?

"I don’t make it too obvious, but I expect him to have the decency to at least gargle with mouthwash. Ako nga, I make sure that I brush my teeth and I’m clean before doing even just a scene with hugging."

They say that pretty girls like you are just that — pretty. With hardly any talent. Do you take it as a challenge?

"Yes, I do. I must admit that I still have a trouble speaking in Tagalog. But I’m trying to learn and improve."

Who are the actresses you’d like to work with?

"Vilma Santos, of course! Maricel Soriano with whom I already worked twice, in Tulak ng Bibig, Kabig ng Dibdib and Filipinas when I was younger. And also, Claudine Barretto. Among the actors I want to work with are Aga Muhlach and Piolo Pascual. By the way, I’m glad that I play a balikbayan in my new movie Ang Cute ng Ina Mo!, so my dialogue is mostly in English."

What are your impressions of your Ang Cute ng Ina Mo! co-stars?

"Well, si Mommy, which is what I call Ai-Ai, she ‘babies’ me and makes me feel comfortable. Si Manzano, well, it’s always a pleasure working with him because it doesn’t feel like work at all. We’ve done a movie (All About Love) and a soap (Kampanerang Kuba), and we hosted Star Circle Quest. Si Sweet (John Lapus), he’s someone who can perk you up when you’re tired and sleepy on the set. Si Ate Eugene (Domingo), she’d make a perfect mom for me. Sobrang cute niya!"

And direk Wenn Deramas?

"I feel comfortable with him because he directed me on Kampanerang Kuba."

You appeared sexy on the cover of Uno magazine. How daring would you be in a movie role?

"The most daring that I could be is like what Dawn (Zulueta) did in Hihintayin Kita sa Langit. The sexiness is implied, not so much in physical exposure. If I have to go bold just for the sake of going bold, without rhyme or reason, huwag na lang."

How are you like off camera?

"I live alone in my house which I just finished paying. I want to enjoy my house kasi pinaghirapan ko ‘yon. My savings from the 10 years I’ve been in showbiz went into that house so I really treasure it. Everytime I walk into that house, parang ayoko nang lumabas pa. I have maids and two dogs."

What are you really like?

"Basically, what you see is what you get. I don’t put up a front. I don’t believe in hiding anything and that, I think, is what makes me somewhat controversial. I’m still a little girl at heart."

And what are you not like?

"Well, I’m not what people think I am. I’m not a playgirl. I’m easy to get along with but I’m not easy to get. Is that clear?"

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