Celebrity (South Korean TV series)

Celebrity (Korean셀러브리티) is a 2023 South Korean thriller television series written by Kim Yi-young and directed by Kim Cheol-kyu, and starring Park Gyu-young, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Dong-gun and Jun Hyo-seong. The series depicts the desires and mysteries surrounding people who become social media influencers, living as so-called celebrities, and the people who envy them. It was released on Netflix, on June 30, 2023.[2][4]

Celebrity
Promotional poster
Hangul
셀러브리티
Revised RomanizationSelleobeuriti
McCune–ReischauerSellŏbŭrit'i
GenreThriller[1]
Written byKim Yi-young[2]
Directed byKim Cheol-kyu[2]
Starring
Music by
  • Kim Jun-seok
  • Jung Se-rin
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • So Jae-hyun (CP)
  • Shin Ye-jin
Producers
  • Kim Young-kyu
  • Lee Ki-hyuk[3]
  • Park Jin-hyung
  • Son Ki-won
Running time37–53 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJune 30, 2023 (2023-06-30)

Synopsis

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Seo Ah-ri (Park Gyu-young) finds herself thrown into a life of fame, wealth, and desire as she explores the world of social media influencers. However, Ah-ri mentions how these influencers buy "followers", which tricks laypersons into believing that they are celebrities. As her reputation begins to tarnish during her rise and eventual fall, Ah-ri exposes the scandalous lives of the influencers, involving scams, harassment, drugs, and eventually murder.

Cast

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Main

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  • Park Gyu-young as Seo Ah-ri: a humble door-to-door make-up saleswoman who lives with her mother, who runs a dry-cleaning business. Ah-ri was once wealthy as her late father owned a factory; however, after his death and the company's bankruptcy, the family was left penniless. Her mother is obsessed with wealth and wants to return to her lavish lifestyle while Ah-ri's friend, Yoon Jeong-sun (Park Ye-ni), goes to great lengths to make her famous. One day, Ah-ri meets her childhood "friend" Oh Min-hye, who is an influencer and enjoys flaunting her riches. Min-hye invites Ah-ri, who she believes is still wealthy, to a celebrity party and introduces her to the Gabin Society influencer group.[2]
  • Kang Min-hyuk as Han Jun-kyung: a wealthy and well-sought-after bachelor, is immediately attracted to Ah-ri when he first sees her and takes every opportunity to be with her. He eventually forms a romantic relationship with Ah-ri and uses his social status to help her.[2]
  • Lee Chung-ah as Yoon Si-hyeon: She is the "big sister" of the Gabin Society and is not on any social media. She is kind-hearted and has a soft spot for Ah-ri. She is married to Tae-jeon, and was previously engaged to Jun-kyung.[5]
  • Lee Dong-gun as Jin Tae-jeon: Si-hyeon's husband who is the CEO of the biggest law firm Taegang, despises Jun-kyung and goes to great lengths to destroy Ah-ri while hiding a dark secret of his own.[6]
  • Jun Hyo-seong as Oh Min-hye: Ah-ri's high school classmate who is an influencer in social media. She is jealous of Ah-ri. She claims to come from a wealthy family but does not. She attaches significant importance to designer bags and runs her shopping mall. She is married to a man whom she constantly insults and berates; however, he enjoys the luxurious lifestyle that comes from being married to her. She also gets some followers and fame by depicting her relationship with her husband on social media as ideal and perfect. She and her husband run a Ponzi scheme to fund their lavish lifestyle.[2]

Supporting

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Gabin Society: Gabin Society is a content house for influencers whose members derive their sense of self-importance from their hierarchy of followers on Instagram. These members desire the fame that comes with being the most followed on social media, but they do not take responsibility for how they achieve it. They are willing to go to great lengths to protect their reputation and status, even if it means sacrificing others. Vanity and jealousy have corrupted these influencers, and others are ready to bring them down.

  • Jeong Yu-mi as Hwang Yu-ri[7]
  • Han Jae-in as Jin Chae-hee: she comes from a wealthy family. She relies on her family status to leverage her social media presence and to get collaborations with brands. She is the sister of Tae-jeon. She abusively uses drugs.[8]
  • Jung Wook-jin as Kwon Myeong-ho[9]
  • Han Eu-ddeum as Angela: she marries a rich husband but does not allow her to spend his money lavishly. Therefore, she resorts to soliciting her body for the money.[10]
  • Kim Si-hyun as Ji-na: she sells knock-off copies of designer brands and claims them to be real to her followers. She also flaunts these fake brands to claim that she comes from old money.[11]
  • Jung Yoo-min as Han Yu-rang: she is Min-hye's lackey and married to plastic surgeon, Kim Min-chan, who engages in malpractice. Her relationship with her husband is very contested.[12]
  • Kim Noh-jin as Lee Eun-Chae/Lee Seon-Young: The masseur working within the same spa that is sponsored by the Gabin Society. She is later revealed to be the identity behind _bbbfamous, who in reality, is a poor girl flaunting as a rich girl who is a severe anti-fan and wrote malicious comments on many influencers including Ah-ri.
  • Park Ye-ni as Yoon Jeong-sun[13]
  • Han Eun-jung as Wang Ro-la[14]
  • Nam Gi-ae as Lee Hyeon-ok[13]
  • Seo Hyun-woo as Detective Jang Hyun-soo
  • Um Hyo-sup as Park Gyeong-bae
  • Choi Young-woo as Hwang Yong-tae[15]

Special appearances

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Production

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Casting

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In May 2022, Celebrity confirmed production with ensemble casting of Park Gyu-young, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Dong-gun and Jun Hyo-seong.[2]

Filming

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Filming began in December 2021.[19]

Awards and nominations

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Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
Korea Drama Awards 2023 Hot Star Award Jung Yoo-min Won [20]

References

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  1. ^ Lee Si-jin (February 10, 2023). "Studio Dragon poised to become global production house with sequels, new projects". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Moon Ji-yeon (May 26, 2022). [공식] '셀러브리티' 박규영·강민혁·이청아 캐스팅..넷플릭스 확정 [[Official] 'Celebrity' Park Gyu-young, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Chung-ah Casting... Netflix Confirmed]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Naver.
  3. ^ "Celebrity". Studio Dragon. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Park Soo-in (May 31, 2023). '셀러브리티' 6월30일 공개 확정, 박규영 폭로할 SNS 인플루언서 실체 ['Celebrity' confirmed to be released on June 30, Park Kyu-young's social media influencer reality]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023 – via Naver.
  5. ^ Lee Nam-kyung (May 26, 2022). 이청아 캐스팅, '셀러브리티' 출연확정...박규영과 호흡(공식) [Lee Chung-ah's casting confirmed for 'Celebrity'... Breathing with Park Gyu-young (Official)]. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Park Seo-hyun (May 27, 2022). 이동건, 넷플릭스 시리즈 '셀러브리티' 캐스팅 확정(공식) [Lee Dong-gun confirmed for casting in Netflix series 'Celebrity' (Official)]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Kim Chae-yeon (June 22, 2023). 아는 사람은 보인다! '셀러브리티' 아이키·이사배·차현승 등 특별출연 라인업 공개 ['Celebrity' Aiki, Lee Issa-Bae, Cha Hyun-Seung, etc. revealed for special appearance line-up]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023 – via Naver.
  8. ^ Yoo Jung-min (July 3, 2023). "한재인, '셀러브리티' 통해 배우 데뷔...모태 금수저 진채희役" [Han Jae-in makes acting debut in 'Celebrity' as Jin Chae-hee, the mother of a gold digger]. MBC Entertainment (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Naver.
  9. ^ "정욱진, 넷플릭스 '셀러브리티' 합류...비밀을 가진 전효성 남편 역". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  10. ^ 신, 지원. "'셀러브리티' 한으뜸, 인플루언서 안젤라 役 활약에 '기대 UP'". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "'셀러브리티' 김시현, 싱크로율 100%". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  12. ^ 정, 현태. "'셀러브리티' 정유민, 인플루언서 모임 가빈회 멤버..매력 폭발". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  13. ^ a b 유, 정민. "박예니 "'셀러브리티' 늘 웃으며 촬영, 즐겁게 봐주셨으면" [일문일답]". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  14. ^ 류, 예지. "한다감, 알고보면 질투와 허영심이 가득한 스타('셀러브리티')". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "'셀러브리티' 클럽 사장 최영우, 씬 스틸러 넘어 씬 강탈러로 '주목'". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "'셀러브리티' 진소연, 연기력으로 시청자 호평". News Sunday. October 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Kang Nae-ri (July 1, 2022). [단독] '옷소매' 이준호, 넷플릭스 '셀러브리티' 특별 출연...김철규 감독과 의리 [[Exclusive] 'Clothes Sleeve' Junho Lee, special appearance on Netflix's 'Celebrity'... Director Kim Cheol-gyu and Loyalty]. YTN (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2022 – via Naver.
  18. ^ a b c d ""이준호, 직접 전화해 떼 쓰다시피 섭외" '셀러브리티' 특별출연 비하인드". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  19. ^ Hwa Jeong (December 22, 2021). 이청아·박규영·전효성, 넷플릭스 '셀러브리티' 촬영 시작 [종합] [[Exclusive] Lee Cheong-ah, Park Gyu-young, and Jeon Hyosung, start filming for Netflix's 'Celebrity' [General]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  20. ^ Kim, Yang-soo (October 14, 2023). "[종합] '코리아드라마어워즈' 이성민 대상...오정세x김선아 최우수상" [[Overall] 'Korea Drama Awards' Lee Sung-min Grand Prize...Oh Jung-se x Kim Sun-ah Best Actress]. Joy News 24 (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
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