It’s Showtime host Anne Curtis is finally back to acting in a series as she was officially announced as one of the lead stars for the highly anticipated Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean drama series It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.

During the official announcement of Star Creatives on Friday, May 17, Anne expressed her excitement at finally making a series after a long hiatus.

“It's definitely worth it,” Anne said. “Hindi naman ako mag-accept ng isang project if I didn't feel it was worth leaving my family for a little bit to shoot.”

She also revealed that one reason she gave her green light for the project is that she was actually a fan of the original series.

“When they offered this to me, it was an instant yes because I love the original and I couldn't let it pass,” she stated.

Anne also revealed that she gave an early heads up even before knowing that there would be a Philippine adaptation for the series.

“The moment I watched the series in 2021, I actually called Viva, my manager Veronique (Del Rosario)… and I 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 please check if we can get the rights for it.’ After a week, bumalik siya sa akin. Sabi niya, ‘Anne nasa ABS-CBN na siya,'” she recalled.

Just like how she manifested it, Anne then landed the role of Emilia "Mia" Hernandez, the Filipino version of South Korean star Seo Yea Ji’s Ko Moon Young, after a couple of years.

“I love her journey of growth. I was talking about Direk Mae (Alviar) about this earlier. You see it from the very beginning of the episode until the last. You see it with how she dresses, how she changes her hair, how she speaks, how she controls her emotions, how she goes through the process. Pati yung mga outburst. Parang sabi ko, ‘I can see myself’,” Anne said when asked what was the reason she personally liked her character. 

“Sabi ko, ‘Grabe she can be so relatable to so many’ and maybe I recognized, and I acknowledged that with myself also,” she added.

Anne also gave a brief detail of her character’s trademark fashion sense. 

“I'm so happy… If you look at the original, it's also storytelling through fashion, which is something that I love. Sobra din akong excited. Pinagusapan namin ni Direk how are we gonna tackle it and the best way to make it our own also. So may Filipino touch,” she happily shared.

In the original series, Anne’s character is an antisocial children's book writer who moves to her hometown to pursue her love interest, a psych ward caretaker, who has dedicated his life to taking care of his older brother, who has an autism syndrome disorder level one. The whole series will tackle different aspects of mental health and help raise mental health awareness.

When asked what the fans and Kapamilya viewers would expect from her much-anticipated comeback and the Filipino version of the series, Anne shared her eagerness to give her best as an actress and relay the message of the series in the best possible way.

“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. You can expect me to do my best in trying to portray this with the utmost care. Iingatan ko iyong pagportray ko dito to give it justice,” she said.

She went on: “Sobra akong excited, and I think what's even greater about this is, hopefully, is that through the series, it breaks the stigma as well and raises awareness about mental health.”

Besides Anne, Kapamilya actors Joshua Garcia and Carlo Aquino are also part of the much-anticipated series which will be directed by the box-office director Mae Cruz-Alviar.

READ: Anne Curtis, Joshua Garcia, Carlo Aquino to headline PH adaptation of ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’