MANILA, Philippines — After starting a family, host-actress Anne Curtis considered very well what would be her first teleserye in a decade.
Anne is set to star in the Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean show "It's Okay Not To Be Okay," alongside Joshua Garcia and Carlo Aquino.
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She will portray Emilia "Mia" Hernandez in the upcoming Philippine adaptation. It is inspired by the character Ko Moon-young, played by Seo Yea-ji, in the Korean drama with the same name. It also stars Kim Soo-hyun as the male protagonist Moon Gang-tae.
Anne shared it was "definitely worth it" to choose the Filipino adaptation of "It's Okay Not To Be Okay" as her teleserye comeback during a press conference on Friday.
"Hindi naman ako maga-accept ng isang project if I didn't feel it was worth leaving my family for a little bit to shoot," Anne shared.
WATCH: Anne Curtis is headlining her first teleserye in a decade as she stars in the Philippine adaptation of Korean drama "It's Okay To Not Be Okay."
She will play Emilia "Mia" Hernandez, the character Ko Moon-young originated by Seo Yea-ji. @PhilstarShowbiz @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/AgktBx2oO0— Kristofer Purnell (@kjpurneII) May 17, 2024
Anne last headlined a teleserye in 2014 as the titular character of "Mars Ravelo's Dyesebel." Her last teleserye appearance was on the long-running "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano" in a supporting role.
Since then, she has appeared in an episode of "Maalala Mo Kaya," was a guest judge on "Drag Race Philippines," starred in several films, and kept her main hosting role on "It's Showtime" on top of starting a family.
She added she instantly said yes when the role was offered to her because she loves the original show and she just could not pass up on the opportunity.
Anne had actually called up her management, Viva Artists Agency, some time ago to ask if anyone was working on adapting "It's Okay Not To Be Okay," as she would consider it for her return to primetime television.
When she learned that ABS-CBN obtained the rights, she admitted to keeping her hopes up that the company would approach her.
Related: Anne Curtis to star in 1st teleserye in 9 years for 'It's Okay Not To Be Okay' Pinoy remake
The actress said she loved Ko Moon-young's journey of growth — from the way she dresses, changes her hair, speaks, and controls her emotions.
"Pati 'yung mga outbursts niya, parang sabi ko... 'I can see myself,'" Anne laughed. "Parang it was really a lightbulb moment, she can be relatable to so much, and maybe I recognize and acknowledge that with myself also."
Because it had been a while since she headlined a drama, Anne said she took refresher acting classes to make sure her performance was done with utmost care and could help break the stigma on mental health.
Mental health plays a huge part in the series as her character has an antisocial personality disorder while Carlo's character has autism.
Anne assured the Filipino adaptation would reflect the original's "storytelling through fashion," yet still make it completely their own.
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