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| (L-R) The main stars of the Philippine adaptation of "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" Carlo Aquino, Anne Curtis and Joshua Garcia with director Mae Cruz-Alviar (Image Source: ABS-CBN Corporation) |
ABS-CBN Studios has revealed a star-studded cast for the Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean drama series “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay" which will be streamed soon on Netflix. Produced by Star Creatives which is behind hit series "Can't Buy Me Love" and "The Iron Heart", the series follows Emelia "Mia" Hernandez, a woman diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder, who gets romantically involved with Patrick "PatPat" Gonzales, a psych ward caretaker, who has dedicated his life to taking care of his autistic older brother Matthew "MatMat" Gonzales.
Led by award-winning box office director Mae Cruz Alviar and creative producer Henry Quitain, the series will tackle the different aspects of mental health issues while putting a Filipino twist to the beloved Korean drama series by featuring beautiful Philippine locations and talented Pinoy illustrators and animators. After a decade-long hiatus from teleseryes, Anne Curtis returns and takes on her dream role as Mia, the Filipina counterpart of Ko Moon Young. Anne revealed during the series' project announcement held last May 17, 2024 that she had quietly hoped for this role since she watched the Korean series years ago, saying, "It’s definitely worth it. 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. So when they offered this to me, it was an instant yes because I love the original. I couldn’t let it pass."
Playing opposite her is Joshua Garcia, who will be portraying the role of PatPat, the Filipino version of Moon Gang Tae. Expressing his excitement about working with Anne for the first time, Joshua described the honor he felt and the extensive preparations for his role. He shared, “Nandoon ‘yung pressure pero sa ngayon nagfo-focus na lang ako ‘dun sa role ko na sana mabigyan ko ng justice. Nagpe-prepare ako, nagwu-workout ako ngayon pero I think mas malaki ‘yung importansya ‘yung mas emotionally prepared kami. Magi-immerse din ako sa mga nurses, kung paano sila nagha-handle ng patients." Versatile actor Carlo Aquino will play the role of MatMat, the Filipino equivalent of Moon Sang Tae. He also discussed his commitment and enthusiasm to studying and understanding autism spectrum syndrome, saying, "I'm up for a challenge kaya hindi ko binitawan. Gusto kong masubukan. Gusto kong gawan. By next month, I believe mag-iimmersion kami, kasama ko si Direk Mae."
