Anne Curtis finally breaks silence on 2013 'I can buy you' controversy
For the first time, Anne Curtis cleared the air about a controversy that was the talk of the town in late 2013.
While guesting in the Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast hosted by directors Antoinette Jadaone and JP Habac, the actress engaged in a fun and light conversation focused on promoting her upcoming film with Jericho Rosales, The Loved One.
At one point, the topic shifted to the first time Curtis met her husband of eight years, entrepreneur Erwan Heussaff.
"Brother siya ng friend ko," said Curtis. "Doon ko siya na-meet, in the most romantic place: a club."
"Doon mo ba nasabi ang 'I can buy you?" joked Habac.
To loud cheers from the audience, Anne replied, "Ang kuwento diyan... ngayon ko lang sasabihin ha."
Recalling the incident now, Curtis told Jadaone and Habac, "Sabi ko [sa friends ko], 'Sinabi ko ba talaga 'yon?'" recalling the "I can buy you" line. "So that I can own up to it kung sinabi ko. Sabi ng friends ko, 'No, you didn't say it.' Sabi ko, 'Ha? All this time?' But you know what, it's so iconic now, I'm just gonna own it."
"Kaya nga ang daming nagco-comment, 'Ay, she's in her [I can buy you] era again'... Parang, it's okay. I'm not affected by it kasi I know the truth naman. Sabi nga ni Erwan sa 'kin, 'It's so iconic now, so just, whatever.' So I'm not bothered," she added.
During the podcast, Curtis explained she kept her silence at the height of the controversy because speaking up would have been pointless.
"At that point, anything I would have said, parang it wouldn't have mattered," she said, adding that silence was ultimately the best way to go.
"Parang madaming nangyari sa gabing 'yun na hindi ko na lang sinabi. It makes no point. Bakit ako maglalaglag pa ng tao? Bakit pa? Parang okay na 'yun. Okay naman kasi, tingnan mo, bliness ako ni Lord ng bongga sa nangyari," Curtis said.
She also admitted being affected by all the negative talk directed at her.
"May Twitter na noon. Meron nang Instagram. Sobrang 'kong may anxiety, hindi ako nagbukas ng social media for two months. Kasi grabe talaga 'yung mga pinagsasabi. After two months, sabi ko, 'Okay, you know what? It's fine, whatever," said Curtis.
"[In] the heat of that, talagang feeling mo wala nang [may] gustong makipag-friends sa 'yo... Sabi ko, 'End of the world na 'to'," Curtis said.
It was during that time, she said, that she discovered who her real friends were.
"Pinupuntahan nila 'ko [asking] 'Are you okay?' They would set up a night na talagang buo 'yung barkada," she added.
'I can buy you' controversy
As relayed by the late PR consultant JR Isaac to PEP editor-in-chief Jo-Ann Maglipon soon after the incident, the controversy took place in the early morning hours of Nov. 23, 2013. Isaac was at the VIP lounge of the now-shuttered Privé Luxury Club in what was The Fort Strip, BGC, with his A-list friends, which included actors John Lloyd Cruz and Jake Cuenca, model Phoemela Baranda, and the club's co-owner JR Rodriguez.
At the other end of the room was Curtis, who was hosting a bachelorette party for one of her friends.
According to Isaac, Curtis was allegedly angry and inebriated when she supposedly pointed her finger at Baranda and screamed the now iconic line, "I can buy you, your friends, and this club!" On the afternoon of the incident, he said Curtis texted him to apologize: "JR! It's Anne. Got your number from Monique! Tried messaging you on Facebook this morning. Just want to apologize for my behavior! I'm so so so sorry. I'm so ashamed. Would never act like that in the right state of mind! I'm so sorry. Please forgive me!"
She later addressed the controversy on Twitter without getting into the details. "I choose to do this right away because I've always been an open book & I don't like to hide anything... For those who have read about the issue, yes, most of it is true. I admit to that & I have apologized to all parties included immediately,” she wrote. “When I was told of my behavior AND the person who started all of this, due to this person's inappropriate behavior, apologized to me too… Just as I did. Which I accepted too. I choose not to go into detail because I'm not the type to ruin someone else's name.”
The actress also explained at that time, she was on the third day of her juice cleanse and had too many drinks. "That's why they say 'Drink in moderation'. I will charge it to experience & a lesson learned," wrote Curtis then, and went on to apologize to her fans.
Days after the incident, Baranda spoke to TV Patrol and also denied the rumor. "Hindi niya sa 'kin sinabi 'yon. Walang ganu'n na nangyari or sinabi si Anne. And I'll continue, hindi niya rin ako dinuro. She wasn't angry at me. She didn't call me names, walang ganu'ng pangyayari. She said something to me, but because galit na siya sa ibang individuals doon," Baranda said.
The former supermodel speculated on how the story blew up. "Siguro 'yung mga kaibigan ko nasabihan ko na on the way out, 'Anne said something to me.' 'Yung nasabihan ko, nasabi sa iba pa, nasabi pa ulit hanggang sa ngayon, lahat na ng tao, may kanya-kanya nang version," Baranda said.
On her love story with Erwan Heussaff
Curtis also talked about how her love story with Erwan began through her deep friendship with Solenn Heussaff, her now-sister-in-law.
Curtis and Solenn were with their friends at a club when Curtis met Erwan.
"He was visiting for Christmas. He was living in Russia [then]," said Curtis.
"Solenn naman, parang 'Erwan, don't even with my friends.' But, you know... Hanggang sa bumalik na [si Erwan] sa Russia. Nag-Skype-Skype talaga kami. So we really got to know each other via conversations," recalled Curtis.
Although they weren't dating then, they began unwittingly establishing their relationship through online "chikahan" and sending each other snail mail inspired by the Griffith and Sabine books.
"Ta's 'yun na. The rest is history," said Curtis.
She and Erwan got married on Nov. 12, 2017 in New Zealand. They share a five-year-old daughter named Dahlia Amelie.
On making mistakes with past loves
Elsewhere in the conversation, Curtis recalled the missteps she took owing to the passion of young love.
Speaking about the theme of The Loved One, which tells a love story that spans a decade, Curtis shared how she can look back at past "kagagahan" mistakes because of romance.
One incident involved tearing up love letters.
"Kinuha ko 'yung mga sulat na binigay or ginawa para sa 'kin. Pinunit-punit ko, tapos tinapon ko sa gate niya... Tinapon ko, nag-doorbell ako, ta's umalis ako," Curtis said.
She also shared how she, brokenhearted, ran after the car of a guy who was driving away, prompting her friends to tell her she should buy her neighbors cheesecake because of all the noise the couple was making, arguing.
"At the end of the day, I'm only human," laughed Curtis. "Sometimes you just gotta let go to find the right one...Give time for yourself."
She did follow her own advice. After she and actor Sam Milby broke up, Curtis said she needed to heal. So for a year, she didn't date and, instead, travelled to Europe with her single girlfriends, which included stylist Liz Uy, who, at the time, according to Curtis, had also just broken up with John Lloyd Cruz.
"I think it's important that you give yourself time to just be alone," Curtis said.
