| Actors Lee Sung-kyung, left, and Kim Young-dae pose during a press conference for tvN's new series "Shooting Star," Wednesday. Courtesy of tvN |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actress Lee Sung-kyung has made a comeback to the small screen for the first time in two years with the new tvN romantic comedy series "Shooting Star," portraying the life of a celebrity PR agent.
"When I first read the script for 'Shooting Star,' I felt that it was exploring the real stories of the entertainment industry," she said during a press conference for the series, Wednesday. "(The story) had realistic struggles and events of the industry that I could empathize with."
The series, which started on Friday, revolves around a romance between Oh Han-byul (Lee) who leads the PR team at an entertainment agency, and the company's top-tier actor Gong Tae-sung (Kim Young-dae).
Han-byul is a talented agent with excellent PR skills, who knows her way around words. Her job is to make the agency's stars shine, including the hot-tempered Tae-sung, who is presented as a perfect, polite star to the public. Developing from a bickering relationship, the two find feelings for each other.
The series is led by Lee Soo-hyun, who directed the romance series "Find Me in Your Memory" (2020), and is scripted by Choi Yeon-soo, who previously worked for an entertainment company.
The director noted that Choi's background in the industry will offer realistic and detailed behind-the-scenes stories of the lives of stars and those who make them shine.
"Instead of following specific events, the story closely follows the lives of managers, actors, and reporters with detail," the director said. "Entertainment is an industry that many people are interested in … the story includes different characters with different jobs, like up-and-coming actors and A-listers and new and veteran managers, in a funny sitcom-like way."
Kim, who starred in the 2019 teen romance "Extraordinary You" and the hit series "The Penthouse: War in Life" (2020), is making his lead role debut with this series.
"I'm still very nervous and excited (to take the lead). I have had a lot of pressure since we started shooting the series," he said.
To play the role of a beloved A-list actor, Kim said he studied his fellow co-stars to create his character.
"Since I don't see myself as a top actor yet, it was hard to portray my character," he said. "I looked up different people (for reference). But I came to realize that I do have stars right by my side. Instead of looking up different people's works, I could study Sung-kyung as she is a top actress."
"Shooting Star" airs Friday and Saturday at 10:40 p.m. on tvN.