Jasmine on staying sane, making music and meeting Dahlia

Jasmine Curtis-Smith

While she isn’t immune to the stressful situations brought about by the quarantine period, award-winning actress and “Descendants of the Sun” star Jasmine Curtis-Smith has been seen in videos trying to cheer up her fans who are stuck at home.

Jasmine, who celebrated her 26th birthday in quarantine last April 6, reminds people to “find ways to save, keep yourselves busy by doing something you enjoy doing at home, stay fit and check up on your loved ones”—words of advice that aren’t out of character for Anne Curtis’ “wise beyond her years” younger sister.

Despite Anne’s more “mainstream” personality, Jasmine need not bask on her ate’s reflected glory. After all, while the former has of late been delivering memorable performances (in “BuyBust,” “Sid & Aya: Not a Love Story” and “Just a Stranger”), it was really Jasmine who first made her mark as a serious actress (“Transit,” “Baka Bukas,” “Siargao”), backing up her impressive thespic chops with her own brand of movie-star sheen.

Jasmine is viewable even when the movies she appears in are far less satisfying (“O,” “Cara x Jagger,” “Culion”)—if that isn’t the mark of a fine actress, we don’t know what is.

During the lockdown, aside from taking an online course again, the actress told Inquirer Entertainment last Monday that channeling her creative energy to music has kept her sane and positive. “It helps that I have Funky Records to keep me busy, which requires me to learn more about the music industry and run a business venture,” she disclosed.

You heard that right—music.

Jasmine Curtis-Smith (right) with costar Rocco Nacino in “Descendants of the Sun”

Since 2019, Jasmine has been running the indie record label she put up with her friends, John Uy, Isabel Aguas, Nicole Uy, Jeff Ortega and Jek Uy. The group is running the musical careers of the five-piece funk-and-soul band Flu (“Is This The Love That I Need?”) and R&B songstress Bea Lorenzo (“Imaginary Love”).

While her sister Anne has taken a much-need hiatus from show biz to give birth to her first daughter Dahlia Amelie last March 2 in Australia, Jasmine was left to sit out the stultifying quarantine months in Manila—a situation that the latter has taken with a grain of salt.

“Being independent at a young age prepared me and taught me about myself, my obligations and about important values in life,” Jasmine said. “With this quarantine, I have learned to live life kinder and with a conscious intention. We so often get caught up in our moods and emotions that we forget the intention of our reactions and decisions. I need to be able to apply that to my work and personal life.”

But just because she’s independent doesn’t mean she doesn’t miss being around her family Down Under. In fact, when we asked Jasmine the first things she intends to do when the lockdown is over, she was quick to point out, “I want to see my family. Or go to the nearest beach!”

Jasmine has also been looking forward to reporting to a TV or movie set. She explained, “I miss the camaraderie on a set when we run through lines and perform as one production.”

And yes, she’d love to finally meet Dahlia, who’s now 3 months old.

We asked, what kind of “tita” would she be? “I’ll be the most caring and, hopefully, the coolest aunt there is,” she beamed.

Knowing the instability of the entertainment biz, would Jasmine encourage her cute niece to pursue acting when she comes of age?

Without skipping a beat, Jasmine quipped: “I will encourage her to pursue whatever her heart desires!”