Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Netflix's 'Celebrity' to portray competitive world of influencers
From left, actors Lee Chung-ah, Kang Min-hyuk, Park Gyu-young, Lee Dong-gun and Jun Hyo-seong and director Kim Cheol-kyu pose during the press conference for Netflix's new original series “Celebrity,” held in western Seoul's Mapo District, Monday. Courtesy of Netflix
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee Gyu-lee
Netflix's new Korean original series, “Celebrity,” will take viewers into the competitive, cut-throat world of social media influencers, the series' director said.
“The world of social media, primarily Instagram, emerged not too long ago. And as the majority of its users are of the younger generation, the content created within that world is often hot, hip and on the forefront of ongoing trends,” director Kim Cheol-kyu, said during a press conference for the series, held at a hotel in western Seoul's Mapo District, Monday.
“So I tried to fill each episode of 'Celebrity' with such stories, aiming to create a hot, hip and trendy series.”
The new series, set to hit the platform on Friday, follows an ordinary woman, Seo A-ri (Park Gyu-young), who becomes a social media star overnight with over 1 million followers. The life of glitz and glamour as an influencer comes with a price, dealing with jealousy and haters, which eventually leads to deadly consequences.
The 12-part series is directed by Kim, who is known for the 2020 suspense crime series, “The Flower of Evil,” and scripted by writer Kim Yi-young, whose previous work includes the 2019 period series, “Haechi.”
A scene from the series “Celebrity" / Courtesy of Netflix
Park noted that the series will shed light on the good and bad sides of being an influencer.
“Nowadays, a huge amount of information comes from social media and it gets inconvenient if you're not on it. 'Celebrity' has a story that clearly shows both the positive and negative aspects of social media,” she said. “As I was filming it, I learned that you need to have a lot of help by your side to become an influencer. At first, I questioned if it is really that competitive. But during the production, I've seen the stuff (that we're filming about) happening in the real news. And I learned how ruthless this world is.”
Her character goes through a series of transitions, becoming a stylish influencer under the spotlight.
“I liked how I can depict the changes in different emotions through the character in 'Celebrity,'” she said. “In the story, A-ri goes from a desk worker to a top influencer, then has a downfall. It will be interesting to see those changes (in her) as well as the change in style.”
The series will have guest appearances from a list of real-life TV personalities and influencers, such as choreographer Aiki, YouTuber Risabae, drag artist Nana Youngrong Kim and Oh Jin-taek from the dating show “Single's Inferno.”
The director noted that he tried to cast actual influencers to present a realistic portrayal.
“The main focus I had in creating this series was a realistic and authentic portrayal. So we got people who are actually engaged (on social media) as influencers. And it will offer viewers another element to enjoy, seeing these individuals appearing throughout the series.”