Star's Lover
| Star's Lover | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Star's Lover | |
| Also known as | Celebrity's Sweetheart |
| Genre | Romance |
| Format | Television series |
| Written by | Oh Soo-yeon |
| Directed by | Boo Sung-chul |
| Starring |
Choi Ji-woo Yoo Ji-tae |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language(s) | Korean |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Korea, Japan |
| Running time | Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Seoul Broadcasting System |
| Original run | 10 December 2008 – 12 February 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Painter of the Wind |
| Followed by | Cain and Abel |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Star's Lover | |
| Hangul | 스타의 연인 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 스타의 戀人 |
| Revised Romanization | Seutaui Yeonin |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŭt‘a ŭi Yŏnin |
Star's Lover (Hangul: 스타의 연인; RR: Seutaui Yeonin; also known as Celebrity's Sweetheart) is a 2008 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo and Yoo Ji-tae that aired on SBS. A love story between a star actress and an ordinary man, director Boo Sung-chul said the series was inspired by the 1999 film Notting Hill.[1][2]
Plot
Lee Ma-ri (Choi Ji-woo) is a top star in Korea and throughout Asia. The head of her management agency, Seo Tae-suk (Sung Ji-roo), hires a ghostwriter to help transform Ma-ri's image. Poverty-stricken university lecturer Kim Chul-soo (Yoo Ji-tae) takes the job in order to earn money to repay his ex-girl friend, who paid for his college tuition. Whilst they are in Japan he falls in love with Ma-ri. However, when the travel essay book "Lovers in Asuka," written by Chul-soo on Ma-ri's behalf, becomes a bestseller, Ma-ri gets caught up in the controversy generated by the ghost writing. The two lovers try to continue their relationship away from media attention, but obstacles abound: eligible young executive Jung Woo-jin (Lee Ki-woo), who pursues Ma-ri; Ma-ri's first love Kang Woo-jin (Choi Phillip), who suddenly vanished from her life; Chul-soo's ex-girlfriend Choi Eun-young (Cha Ye-ryun); and the manipulative Seo Tae-suk, who seeks to control everything in Ma-ri's life.
Cast
Main characters
- Choi Ji-woo ... Lee Ma-ri
- Yoo Ji-tae ... Kim Chul-soo
- Lee Ki-woo ... Jung Woo-jin
- Cha Ye-ryun ... Choi Eun-young
Supporting characters
- Sung Ji-roo ... Seo Tae-suk, CEO of Ma-ri's management agency
- Ki Tae-young ... Son Ha-young
- Choi Phillip ... Kang Woo-jin
- Lee Joon-hyuk ... Min Jang-soo, Ma-ri's bodyguard
- Yang Hee-kyung ... Lee Seung-yeon, Ma-ri's stylist
- Shin Min-hee ... Kim Yu-ri, Chul-soo's sister
- Jung Woon-taek ... Jun Byung-joon
- Shim Eun-Jin ... Ye-rin
- Ban Hyo-jung ... Ma-ri's grandmother
- Kwak Hyun-hwa ... Lee Eun-sil
- Lee Seung-hyung ... Choi Seung-wook
- Yoon Joo-sang ... Professor Ahn
- Lee Jong-nam ... Choi Ryun-hee
- Kim Ji-young ... Kim Ok-ja
- Kim Ye-ryung ... Lee Ji-soon
- Kim Ji-sook ... Bo-young, Chul-soo's mother
- Bae Ki-bum ... Chul-soo's father
- Lee Young-eun ... student (cameo, ep 1)
- Gong Hyung-jin ... director (cameo, ep 1)
- Shin Hyun-joon ... department store magnate (cameo, ep 1)
- Kim Ji-seok ... actor (cameo, ep 1)
- Ji Jin-hee ... actor, Ma-ri's ex-boyfriend (cameo, ep 8)
- Lee Dong-gun ... Eun-young's friend (cameo, ep 20)
- Min Joon-hyun ... entertainment journalist
- Song Young-kyu
Ratings
| Date | Episode | Nationwide | Seoul |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-12-10 | 1 | 9.5% (17th) | 9.8% (14th) |
| 2008-12-11 | 2 | 8.8% (17th) | 9.3% (16th) |
| 2008-12-17 | 3 | 6.8% | 8.7% |
| 2008-12-18 | 4 | 7.0% | 8.5% |
| 2008-12-24 | 5 | 5.9% | 8.0% |
| 2008-12-25 | 6 | 7.6% | 9.8% |
| 2009-01-01 | 7 | 9.1% | 10.1% |
| 2009-01-01 | 8 | 7.8% | 10.1% |
| 2009-01-07 | 9 | 7.9% | 9.1% |
| 2009-01-08 | 10 | 7.5% | 8.5% |
| 2008-01-14 | 11 | 7.4% | 8.9% |
| 2009-01-15 | 12 | 6.2% | 8.5% |
| 2009-01-21 | 13 | 7.6% | 8.4% |
| 2009-01-22 | 14 | 7.3% | 8.5 |
| 2009-01-28 | 15 | 8.2% | 9.0% (19th) |
| 2009-01-29 | 16 | 9.2% | 8.8% (19th) |
| 2009-02-04 | 17 | 8.3% | 8.4% |
| 2009-02-05 | 18 | 9.0% | 8.8 |
| 2009-02-11 | 19 | 5.3% | 8.3% |
| 2009-02-12 | 20 | 7.2% | 8.5% |
| Average | 7.6% | 8.9% | |
Source: TNS Media Korea
Production
As of the twelfth episode Choi was reported to have worn 147 outfits, thus averaging 12 ensembles per episode, with episode two alone featuring 25 different outfits. The sheer volume of clothing and range of styles is in line with her character as a top actress.[3]
Many of the scenes were filmed on location in Seoul and Busan.[4]
- Episode 20: Ilsan Lake Park, Janghang-dong, Ilsan district, Goyang city, Gyeonggi Province.
- Episode 8 and 19: Il Mare, an Italian restaurant, located in front of Ilsan Lake Park.
- Seoul National University: the university of Chul-soo's employment, his lectures and Ma-ri’s visit to the school were filmed at the gallery, Gyujanggak, and museum roads. This is the first time the university has allowed its campus to be used as a filming location.
- Haeundae Beach and Dongbaek Island, Busan: The scene where Ma-ri confesses her love for Chul-soo and the couple takes a walk on the beach.
International broadcast
It aired in Japan on satellite channel WOWOW beginning May 1, 2009.[5][6]
References
- ↑ Oh, Jean (1 December 2008). "Mega drama duo signals hot winter". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- ↑ Han, Sang-hee (2 December 2008). "Celebrity's Sweetheart Knocks on Viewers Hearts". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- ↑ "Choi Ji-woo in Costume Change Marathon". The Chosun Ilbo. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- ↑ "A Star's Lover". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- ↑ "Choi Ji-woo Explains Dating Rumors in Japan". KBS Global. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
- ↑ "A Star's Lover is a hit in Japan". Dramabeans. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
External links
- Star's Lover official SBS website (Korean)
- Celebrity's Sweetheart at SBS Global
- Celebrity's Sweetheart at HanCinema