‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ PH remake: Cast members, what we know so far
Anne Curtis, who is making her teleserye comeback after 10 years, says it was an 'instant yes' for her to do the remake
MANILA, Philippines – For Anne Curtis, it was “definitely worth it” to have the upcoming Philippine adaptation of the hit K-drama It’s Okay to Not Be Okay as her first teleserye in a decade.
“Hindi naman ako mag-aaccept ng isang project (I wouldn’t accept a project) if I didn’t feel it was worth leaving my family for a little bit to shoot. When they offered it to me it was an instant yes because I loved the original and I couldn’t let it pass,” the actress said during the project’s media conference on Friday, May 17.
Curtis last headlined the 2014 teleserye Mars Ravelo’s Dyesebel. Since then, she has been primarily focused on being a mainstay host on It’s Showtime and starring in movies – BuyBust (2018), Aurora (2018), Sid & Aya: Not A Love Story (2019), The Mall, the Merrier (2019), and Just A Stranger (2019).
The actress has also been vocal that she’ll be picky with her showbiz engagements as she also wants to prioritize spending time with her daughter Dahlia.
But when Curtis watched the Korean series in 2021, she called her management, Viva Artists Agency, to tell them that if anyone’s making a Filipino adaptation of this drama, she would consider returning to primetime television.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, which aired in 2020, follows the story of Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), an orphaned caretaker working at a psychiatric ward, who crosses paths with Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Ye-ji), a popular children’s book author with antisocial tendencies.
In the Filipino remake, Curtis will portray Seo’s character as Emilia “Mia” Hernandez, the author with an antisocial personality disorder.
She will be teaming up with Joshua Garcia and Carlo Aquino, who will play the Gonzales brothers, Patrick and Matthew, respectively. Patrick is the caregiver in a psychiatric hospital while Matthew has autism.
As the series involves matters regarding mental health, Star Creatives Creative Head Henry King Quitain, who will oversee the production of the show, shared that prior to the show’s filming, the cast will undergo several sets of individual and group immersion to deepen their knowledge about mental health issues.
Meanwhile, both Garcia and Aquino also expressed their excitement in working with Curtis for her teleserye comeback. “Very honored, sobra. Of course, pagkatapos ng napakatagal na panahon, babalik siya. At isa ako sa mga makakasama niya, isang karangalan,” Garcia said. (After a long time, she’ll be making her return to television series. And I’m one of those she’s working with. It’s an honor.)
Garcia also admitted that he feels pressure working in an adaptation, given that the original series had massive success and gained a lot of fans. But the actor said that he’ll use this pressure to focus on giving justice to his role.
The team behind the remake also noted that they recognize how illustrations play a huge part in the drama’s narrative, and assured fans that they’ll also put proper emphasis on that in the adaptation. They also shared that they’re eyeing to film in Bacolod, Iloilo, or the island of Negros as they need heritage houses in the storytelling.
Director Mae Cruz-Alviar, who also helmed Can’t Buy Me Love, will direct the remake. “This is a highly-anticipated project and I am very grateful that I was given the opportunity to do this very beautiful drama adaptation,” she said.
The Filipino adaptation of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay will be a collaboration between ABS-CBN and streaming platform Netflix. As of writing, details about its release date have yet to be announced.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay is the latest South Korean series that ABS-CBN green lit for a Filipino adaptation, following The World of the Married, Flower of Evil, and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim. – Rappler.com