Grace Libero

Metro x It's Okay to Not Be Okay: Joshua Garcia

Article (news)

<div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759401849136METRO x IT&#x27;S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY - JOSHUA GARCIA.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Joshua Garcia, as photographed by Jerick Sanchez</div><div> </div>Happiness thrives in Joshua Garcia’s work. Following his role in the romantic drama movie Un/Happy for You last year, which showcased his emotional maturity as he starred in a breakup movie alongside his ex, Julia Barretto, he immerses himself in a new mindset with It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. It is a series so layered that he finds himself peeling every part for his character to reach “a happy day”—something Patpat and his brother, Matmat (Carlo Aquino), would say and manifest. From a breakup story to healing from a broken past, Joshua’s latest teleserye character has different wounds and scars, and healing them forms the core of the narrative. If you’re familiar with Joshua’s more recent body of work, you’ll know that the drama genre has become his turf. That’s why in his Metro.Style interview last year, he expressed his interest in working on a comedy project. In It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, he got his wish and then some, as the Philippine adaptation of the hit K-drama combines romance, comedy, drama, and even thriller. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay is a South Korean series released in 2020. Coinciding with the pandemic, its story on mental health and healing tugged at people’s heartstrings, perhaps far stronger than what the team behind it expected. Joshua also didn’t expect the story would affect him the way it did. Mental health is a topic he admittedly didn’t know how to navigate. As their show aimed to not only entertain but also to inform and educate, Joshua found that he, too, was learning as they filmed. The actor bluntly acknowledged that since its plot explores a relatively taboo subject, “mahirap talagang kunin lahat ng audience.” It’s for everyone, but not everyone will easily warm up to its theme as well. What matters more to him and the rest of the team, though, is that they touch even one person. “That&#x27;s the goal. Gusto namin maging aware lahat about mental health,” Joshua points out. “Kasi lahat tayo may mga pinagdadaanan na hindi alam ng isa&#x27;t-isa.”<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759159275745Metro x Its Okay to Not be Okay joshua garcia embed_Untitled Capture9137.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759160116690Metro x Its Okay to Not be Okay joshua garcia embed_Untitled Capture9153.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Growing with his character</div>Every movie or series presents a unique experience, allowing actors to take home something valuable from the filming process. His experience in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay enlightened him about mental health and made him realize how he relates to the topic. Joshua opens up, “Actually, nu’ng ginawa ko to, ’yun ’yung bago sa’kin. Mental health. Hindi siya malinaw sa’kin before, bago ko siya gawin. And nu’ng nalaman ko ’yung about mental health, ’yung awareness about that, mas, I think, feeling ko mas nag-grow ako. Kasi mas naintindihan ko ’yung sarili ko na hindi ko alam na ako mismo, ’yun ’yung pinagdadaanan ako. ‘Ah, kaya pala ganito ako. Kaya pala ganyan ako.&#x27; Parang nagkaroon ng term kung ano man ’yung nararamdaman ko.”He admits that, as an introvert, he’s not the type to share his innermost thoughts. But through Patpat, he realized it also helps to voice out and let go of these emotions lest they end up piling up. “Akala ko okay lang na, kasi makikimkimin akong tao, so akala ko okay lang na hindi mag-share. Naiipon pala siya. Eventually sasabog siya,” Joshua reflects.  Like what Anne Curtis&#x27; Mia told Joshua&#x27;s Patpat, “Why not loosen up a bit?” That serves as a good reminder when we get caught up in life’s chaos. <div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759402237949joshua garcia metro its okay to not be okay quote (1).jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759159773148batch_Untitled Capture9240.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Acting as a safe space</div>His craft, Joshua says, helps him loosen up because he sees it as an outlet. He releases his feelings through acting, resulting in more thoughtful and laudable portrayals.  It was a definite bonus that the set of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay was like a safe space, a home away from home, that allowed him to step out of his comfort zone and right into his element. With location shoots in various parts of the Philippines, the cast had to do lock-in tapings, and that gave them the chance to get closer to each other while respecting each other’s space. That was one thing Joshua appreciated about his castmates—they helped him step into his character by respecting his process.To do that, Joshua says he prefers having “alone time.” “Ang bigat ng character ko, so I needed to focus,” he shares, detailing his process. “Medyo mukha akong senti [sentimental], mukha akong emo [emotional]. Pero hindi siya ganu’n sa akin e. I think ’yun ’yung parang binibigay ko. Ganu’n kataas ’yung respeto ko sa trabaho ko. Binibigyan ko ’yung sarili ko ng oras para i-analyze ’yung eksena. Hindi naman sa nag-o-overthink ako. Gusto ko lang na pagdating ko ng set, ready ako and hindi ako maging cause of delay. Gusto ko kasi ’pag work mode, work mode. Tapusin muna natin ’to. Pagkatapos tayo mag-chismisan. Ganu’n ako e. Kasi parang may momentum sa akin. Para akong makina e. Gusto ko dire-diretso… Ang pangit sa akin, kapag tumigil tapos lalamig ako tapos babalik ako ng set, parang hindi ko na alam.”While there are many light-hearted moments in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, many are also emotionally draining. For the latter, Joshua received a lot of help from director Mae Cruz Alviar, their “nanay” on the set.  “Sobrang dami namin napag-usapan,” Joshua says of Direk Mae. “Pero, ang pinakanatatandaan ko sa kanya, nand’yan siya palagi para i-align ako. Kasi may mga scenes na sobrang nadadala na ako. Parang ang hirap maka-recover du’n sa eksena. Siya ’yung nanay namin sa set. Naging ganu’n siya sa amin. Kasi, ’di ba si Matmat at Patpat, wala nang nanay. So, ganu’n siya ka-importante sa amin sa set.” <div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759160143032Metro x Its Okay to Not be Okay joshua garcia embed_Untitled Capture9254.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759160484911Metro x Its Okay to Not be Okay joshua garcia embed_Untitled Capture9166.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Learning, re-learning, and zoning in</div>From his It’s Okay to Not Be Okay family, Joshua explores a different family dynamic in his upcoming movie, Meet, Greet &amp; Bye, which also stars Piolo Pascual, Juan Karlos, Belle Mariano, and Maricel Soriano. The movie also talks about healing, but this time, Joshua’s mother on set is director Cathy Garcia-Sampana. The approach of Direk Cathy was to have Joshua unlearn what he learned on the set of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. “Lahat ng dala-dala ko from taping, hindi niya [Direk Cathy] p’wede makita sa Meet, Greet, &amp; Bye ’yan kasi iba ’yung acting sa TV at sa movie,” Joshua explains. As an actor, Joshua adopts a student mindset because learning never stops. “Nakikinig lang ako. Lagi akong open sa mga suggestions,” he continues. But moving on to a new set and unlearning what he learned proved to be a real challenge for Joshua. “Grabe, parang every scene na ginawa ko du’n, lagi akong 10 takes pataas,” he opens up, not hesitating to say that of all the movies he worked on, Meet, Greet &amp; Bye is the most challenging because it required him to try on different approaches. “Gusto ko ’yung challenge na ’yan,” Joshua expresses. “Du’n ako mas parang ginaganahan na magtrabaho pa.” Given his busy schedule, we thanked him for accommodating this shoot during his relatively free time, time that he could’ve spent resting. “Hindi,” he begins, “mas gusto kong nagtatrabaho. Totoo.” Joshua adds, smiling, “Kasi bugnutin ako ’pag nasa bahay.” He shares, though, that he does love spending time at home, watching anime and movies, but even that is like research for him. “Kasi ’pag nanonood actually ngayon, kaysa sa kwento, parang sa acting na ako nakatingin,” Joshua says. These “alone time” moments at home are the perfect definition of a “happy day” for Joshua. While he enjoys the company of colleagues and friends and the dynamic environment of his workplace, at the end of the day, his mental health is at its best when he’s by himself, listening to his own thoughts and finding peace in the pause. <div> </div>Photography by Jerick SanchezMetro Head: Christina LopezEditor-in-Chief: Geolette EsguerraSittings Editors: Grace Libero-Cruz, Randz Manucom, and Kate Paras-SantiagoManaging Editor: Rick FormalejoFashion Associate: Carla BuyoStylist: Gi GumapacHair and makeup artist: Ryan PanaliganPhotographer’s assistants: Karl Rimando, Salvador Reyes, Dave Orpilla, and Dustin EstucheIntern: Sophia AnchetaVideographer: Pat Buenaobra, assisted by Gimo BesingaShot on location at Proscenium TheaterSpecial thanks to Star Creatives, Star Magic, Illo&#x27;s Catering, and Rockwell&#x27;s Tracey Castillo

Joshua also didn’t expect "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" would affect him the way it did. Mental health is a topic he admittedly didn’t know how to navigate. As their show aimed to not only entertain but also to inform and educate, Joshua found that he, too, was learning as they filmed.

Joshua also didn’t expect "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" would affect him the way it did. Mental health is a topic he admittedly didn’t know how to navigate. As their show aimed to not only entertain but also to inform and educate, Joshua found that he, too, was learning as they filmed.

Joshua Garcia On What He Discovered About Himself Through ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’

People

Fashion

Beauty

Wellness

Travel

Culture

Living

Food

Weddings

People

Joshua Garcia On What He Discovered About Himself Through ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’

Grace Libero

Published Oct 02, 2025 07:30 PM PHT

Read More:

People

Digital Covers

Joshua Garcia

It's Okay to Not Be Okay

Anne Curtis

Carlo Aquino

Metro.Style is your go-to destination for all things chic and stylish—featuring the latest in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, celebrity news, and inspiring stories. It's your curated guide to living your best life.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.