Joshua Garcia admits that the road to becoming one of the most reliable leading men of his generation was far from easy.

Speaking at the media conference for ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’, the actor revealed that he went through a period of uncertainty before deciding to focus solely on acting.

“Before, actually, meron akong parang… kasi ano, eh, bilang artista, kailangan mong pumili ng larangan kung saan ka gustong mag-excel o kung saan mo gustong mas makilala ka, ‘di ba? Nu’ng time na ‘yon, siguro ’yun ‘yung challenge sa akin, ‘yung kung paano, kung ano ’yung pipiliin ko na larangan—acting ba o gusto ko sumayaw na lang or gusto ko kumanta? And at that time, napagdesisyunan ko na umakting. I think, I think ‘yun ‘yung parang isa sa mga challenges,” Joshua shared.

The decision, he said, came at a time when his career seemed to be on shaky ground.

“Kasi there was a time din na… kaya ako dumating du’n sa ganu’ng decision making, kasi dumating ’yung time na nawawalan ako ng work, natatanggal ako, biglang nu’ng umpisa bida ako ta’s biglang third wheel na ‘ko ta’s biglang natatanggal na ‘ko. Sabi ko kailangan ko nang pumili, kasi ito na ‘yon, eh. Kasi kung hindi ako pipili, uuwi ako ng Batangas, walang mangyayari dito sa Maynila sa akin,” he recounted.

After choosing to focus on acting, Joshua committed to honing his craft, attending workshops, and putting in the hard work. His career has since come a long way from his beginnings in Pinoy Big Brother: All In in 2015.

His advice to showbiz newcomers: never stop learning.

“‘Wag n’yong isipin na magaling na kayo. Kasi kahit ako, hanggang ngayon, ganyan ako, eh. Pero ‘wag naman kayo ma-frustrate sa mga ginagawa n’yo, pero ‘wag lang kayo mapagod matuto. Palagi may bago kayong matututunan, may bagong makakasama,” he said, adding that respect for co-actors, production staff, and crew members is just as important.

Currently, the ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ Philippine adaptation—starring Anne Curtis, Joshua Garcia, and Carlo Aquino—continues to trend and win over viewers. Joshua teased that Episode 15 will be a turning point for his character Pat-Pat Gonzales as he starts to warm up to Mia Hernandez, played by Anne Curtis.

The 80-episode series, directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar and produced by Star Creatives in partnership with Netflix Philippines, follows Mia, an author diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, as she crosses paths with Pat-Pat, a psychiatric ward caretaker, and his autistic older brother Mat-Mat (Carlo Aquino).

The show airs weeknights at 8:45 p.m. on the Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, TFC, and Kapamilya Online Live, with advance episodes available on Netflix and iWant.