By Lee Gyu-lee
Netflix’s new Korean series Celebrity will take viewers into the competitive, cutthroat world of social media influencers.
“The world of social media, primarily Instagram, emerged not too long ago,” says director Kim Cheol-kyu. “And, as the majority of its users are of the younger generation, the content created is often hot, hip and on the forefront of ongoing trends.“So I tried to fill each episode of Celebrity with such stories, aiming to create a hot, hip and trendy series.”
The 12-part series, set to hit the platform on June 30, follows an ordinary woman, Seo Ah-ri (Park Gyu-young), who becomes a social media star overnight.
The glitz and glamour of being an influencer, however, comes with a price and A-ri finds herself dealing with jealous people and haters – with deadly consequences.Virtual influencers are becoming more like us. Should we be worried?
The series is directed by Kim, who is best known for suspense crime series The Flower of Evil (2020), and scripted by writer Kim Yi-young, whose previous work includes period series Haechi (2019).
Park says the series will shed light on the good and bad sides of being an influencer.
“A huge amount of information comes from social media, and it gets inconvenient if you’re not on it. Celebrity shows both the positive and negative aspects of social media,” she says.
“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 and becomes a stylish influencer.
“I liked how I can depict the changes in different emotions through the character in Celebrity,” she says.
“In the story, A-ri goes from an [office] 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 see guest appearances from a list of real-life television personalities and influencers, such as choreographer Aiki, YouTuber Risabae, drag artist Nana Youngrong Kim and Oh Jin-taek from dating show Single’s Inferno.
The director wanted to cast actual influencers to make the show more realistic.
“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,” Kim says.
“It will offer viewers another element to enjoy, seeing these individuals appearing throughout the series.”
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