Actor-singer James Reid is making his long-awaited return to primetime television after a decade, saying he always knew acting was something he would eventually come back to when the timing felt right.
During his solo media conference for Someone, Someday on July 14, James reflected on his 10-year break from primetime and shared why he finally felt ready to headline a television series again.
READ: James Reid excited to bring a fresh story alongside Kathryn Bernardo in 'Someone, Someday'
The upcoming series, which also stars Kathryn Bernardo and Maja Salvador, marks James's first primetime project since On the Wings of Love, which aired in 2015, and Till I Met You, which ended in 2017.
"Actually, I always knew that I would go back to acting...Since 2019 or 2020 when I decided to take a pause, I always said, 'I plan to come back to acting.' It was never really a goodbye for me. I've always said it. It's something I want to return to one day when I feel like I can handle it again. It was getting a bit intense for me," he explained.
According to the actor, after years of focusing on other aspects of his career and personal growth, he now feels emotionally prepared to embrace the demands of acting once again.
"But, yes, I just feel like now is the right time to come back. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's just an emotional thing. I'm in a good place right now and I'm very happy with everything. I've felt [that] I can handle the workload back [and] I can handle everything that comes with it again," he continued.
During his time away from television, the Multimedia Prince immersed himself in music and continued building Careless, the independent label he founded in 2017. Looking back, he said taking a step back from acting gave him the opportunity to rediscover himself through music.
"I needed that break to really just find myself. Music was my instrument to kind of find myself. I needed that creative outlet [showing] who is James Reid when he's not on TV...outside of acting. That's [what] I was trying to figure out."
He added that the break ultimately helped him better understand who he is, making him more confident about returning to acting.
Now that he is back, James admitted there was one thing he missed the most about being an actor, which is the opportunity to step into a completely different world through the characters he portrays.
"I think acting is a different kind of creative experience compared to music. Music is something deeply personal. It's a personal experience, a personal journey. The way I write is very real and grounded. Acting, on the other hand, is fantasy. You get to explore larger situations, experience a bigger kind of love, and try things that you would never really experience in real life. I think that's the part I miss the most about acting."
Aside from returning to primetime, James also shared that viewers can look forward to hearing his own music in Someone, Someday. Among the songs included in the series are "Pauwi Na" and "Sandal," along with original tracks from various OPM artists.
The series premieres first on Netflix on July 24, followed by iWant on July 25. It will also air on primetime beginning July 27 at 8:45 p.m. via ALLTV2, TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and Kapamilya Online Live on Facebook and YouTube. It will also be available on TFC.