ICYDK, AJ Raval's newest movie, Crush Kong Curly, will be available for streaming on December 17, 2021. In the film, she plays the character of Elle, a girl who was bullied for being unattractive before growing up to become a ~sexy~ online streamer who would do anything to support her family.
In a recent press conference for her movie, AJ said that she could relate to her character when it came to her love and dedication for her family. She also shared that she had her fair share of criticisms because of her sexy image.
The 21-year-old actress said that despite being bashed online—the main reason for her social media detox—she *understands* where all the criticism is coming from. "Hindi ko alam na ganun ka-big deal na pala lahat ng sasabihin ko or ipo-post ko para sa ibang tao. Hindi ko alam na ganun pala ka-interesting yung buhay ko. Kaya before sa mga interviews ko, hindi talaga ako nag-iingat sa mga sinasabi ko kasi hindi ko alam na magiging issue ito," she shared.
Referring to the recent ~issues~ she's been involved in, AJ said that she feels like netizens misinterpreted her. "Naiintindihan ko naman yung mga tao. Na-fi-feed sila sa mga lumalabas sa social media. Kung anong unang lumabas, kahit hindi totoo, pinapaniwalaan nila. At saka siguro na-mi-misinterpret lang nila ako kasi lumaki ako sa pamilya na mga lalake. So one of the boys talaga ako. So sa part na yun parang tini-take na negative ng mga tao," she said.
Even after she admitted that she suffered from mental breakdowns due to all the criticisms she got online, AJ said that she is ready to forgive her bashers. "Kahit hindi hingin sa akin yung sorry, nagpapatawad ako. Mahirap kasing mabuhay ng may galit ka sa puso. Mahirap gawin lahat ng bagay kung galit ka," she said.
She added: "At saka hindi ko naman din sila kalaban, sa totoo lang. Ang kalaban ko lang, kung paano ako mag-isip, kung paano ko i-take yung mga bagay."
***
This story originally appeared on Cosmo.ph. Minor edits have been made by the FemaleNetwork.com editors.