Star's Lover

Updated on Nov 17, 2023

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Also known as Celebrity's Sweetheart Written by Oh Soo-yeon Starring Choi Ji-woo Yoo Ji-tae		Genre Romance, Drama Directed by Boo Sung-chul Country of origin South Korea

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.

Plot

Lee Ma-ri (Choi Ji-woo) is a top star in South Korea and throughout Asia. The head of her management agency, Seo Tae-suk (Sung Ji-ru), 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.

Main characters

Choi Ji-woo: Lee Ma-ri

Yoo Ji-tae: Kim Chul-soo

Kang Yi-seok: young Chul-soo

Lee Ki-woo: Jung Woo-jin

Cha Ye-ryun: Choi Eun-young

Supporting characters

Park Bo-young: Young Lee Ma-ri (cameo)

Sung Ji-ru: 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-ryeong: 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: Hong Kong movie 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

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.

Many of the scenes were filmed on location in Seoul and Busan.

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 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 first aired in Japan on satellite channel WOWOW beginning May 1, 2009. Reruns followed on terrestrial network TBS from September 27 to October 22, 2010, and on cable channel KNTV from November 9 to December 4, 2009.

In Thailand it first aired on Modernine TV in 2011.

References

Star's Lover Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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