MANILA, Philippines - I am trying to upset the balance here. Precisely, by restoring it. On one end of the ring, you have… me. On the other: the beautiful, the lovely, the omnipresent Anne Curtis — saucers for eyes, full mouth, a captivating beauty mark on the cheek above and to the left of said mouth… You could basically cover the girl in greasepaint, Kate Moss style, and she’d still look stunning. Today, though,we’ve got Anne dressed as a man. In this convolution, she sort of looks like Johnny Depp — also a fine specimen of the genus artista, albeit of the male species. This, of course, rouses a most acute sense of smallness in me. At once, a flip switch of past encounters goes off in my head.
Times I’ve seen Anne in the flesh: Five.
• Preview’s Best Dressed ball, wearing pink lips and a Barbie dress to maximum sweetness
• At the Metropolitan Museum, ascending the steps, begloved hands clutching a vintage pink-and-cream column gown by Slims (she had just worn the designer’s dresses while covering Preview)
• In the bathroom of Cuisine after said event
• Busting through the double doors of Rockwell, in jeans and a flat-tummy-baring crop top (Envy…)
• Sliding, sans makeup, into Jing Monis’ salon chair on her birthday this year
Times Anne has seen Anna: Once. That is:
• In the bathroom of Cuisine after said event (no choice, really; space too tiny)
In all these times, Anne was as she is now: Striking, refreshing, totally devoid of airs.
This is probably why she is such a natural on her current show, the highly-rated Showtime. “I can just be me! I love that I can dress any way that I want. I was even able to get away with the no makeup and wet hair or even the messy ponytail look,” she says with a smile. “Kuya Kim says it also makes women and people realize that just because you’re an actress or a host, it doesn’t mean you have to load makeup on or have perfectly done hair… It’s okay for us girls to just be fresh and simple.” In the same breath, Anne gushes about being able to interact with viewers more, as well as practice more spontaneity, because the show is done live. “Every day is a new experience. We’ve become a family!”
Of course, Anne is just as effective as an actress. In 2005, her turn in Kampanerang Kuba made people sit up and take notice of her character’s less-than-perfect appearance, vis-à-vis Anne’s own more-than-satisfactory performance, in what was then the actress’s debut in the plum role of a primetime drama. At the moment, her current project — a remake of the Koreanovela Green Rose — has her working alongside Jericho Rosales, Jake Cuenca and Alex de Rossi. But if she had to choose which among her numerous characters she counts as the most memorable, Anne is hard-pressed for a solid declaration. “Each character I portray, I grow to love. She becomes a part of me somehow. So it’s so hard to choose… But in ranking, Princess Dahlia (her first major acting job at 12 years old, in Magic Kingdom), Celine Magsasay (Maging Sino Ka Man), and Josephine (DYOSA) are definitely battling for first place.”
On the subject of Anne’s other roles, there’s also the tweet queen (“I pretty much tweet from the moment I wake up till I go to sleep.”), the fashion girl (“I was once a very surfer and sneaker kind of girl until the lovely Liz Uy advised me to try “dressing up” a little bit and now I haven’t stopped!”), the Preview girl for all seasons (she’s covered the magazine more than any other actress), and on top of all that, the human (“potato and cup noodles are my comfort food by the way so you can imagine how hard that can get...”).
Which brings us to a most opportune moment, of asking Anne just how she feels about her chosen S.O., the scruffy-hot Erwan Heusaff.
“I’m very happy and that’s all that matters,” she intones with a sheepish smile.
At once, the reserved nature speaks of a deeper side of the 25-year-old actress, an aspect that came to the fore just a month ago, when Anne’s family was struck with grief upon the death of her four-month-old baby sister, Clare, due to a viral infection. Busy as she was with all her showbiz commitments (not to mention, the trauma of her wardrobe malfunction at an ASAP XV beach event, which had her rushing in quiet tears backstage), Anne cancelled all that was on her slate, making time for her family, and standing as the strong pillar that she is. At the funeral, Anne read a poem she personally wrote for her baby sister — a piece that spoke volumes about the young actress’s uncanny sense of maturity and keen insight — traits that have served her in good stead, after all the swings and arrows of her love and life, this 2010. “I love you all and miss you so, I’ll always be nearby. My body’s gone forever, but my spirit will never die. And so you must go on now, and live, and understand... God did not take me from you, He only took my hand.”
Truth be told, these are the words of a trooper — one who can weather storms, not because she closes her eyes to them, but because she accepts the realities of her fame and fate, fully embracing all the lessons that come with them. And so goes the fearless metamorphosis of Anne: a princess, turned hunchback, turned queen; a little 12-year-old upstart, turned, fearlessly and virtually, for these pages, into a hardened man; a pretty ingénue, made classic — wizened with experiences both good and bad; a lover, a loved one, a fighter, a person to fight for; a muse to the masses, as much as of the bosses; ultimately, a soul given to casting equal doses of genuinity to all — be it her closest buds, her showbiz pack, her fans, heck, even random, similarly-initialed people she bumps into in the ladies room. “This is our assistant, Anna,” introduces Liz, at that chance encounter, one non-too-forgotten night. “I’m Anne,” she says, without any affectations — so graciously settling the score.