“Behind Every Star” (연예인 매니저로 살아남기)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
December 16, 2022

☆☆☆☆
Ma Tae-oh (played by Lee Seo-jin)
Chun Jae-in (played by Kwak Sun-young)
Kim Jung-don (played by Seo Hyun-woo)
So Hyun-joo (played by Joo Hyun-young)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

Based on the French series “Call My Agent,” this K-drama actually reminds me more of the U.S. show “Entourage,” but from the viewpoint of combative entertainment agents.

“Behind Every Star” focuses on a team of elite agents whose clients include top stars who need to have their egos stroked on a regular basis. In each of the 12 episodes, the guest stars include actors who portray versions of their real-life selves. Some of the fictional scenarios do reflect on the reality of working in film, especially for female stars. There’s Claudia Kim (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”), who’s in danger of losing parts because she can’t find an appropriate nanny for her daughter. “Parasite” star Cho Yeo-jeong faces the reality of aging when she’s told Quentin Tarantino isn’t going to cast her for his new film because she’s too … old.

And Daniel Henney learns that his agent turned down a plum role offered to him years ago without telling him. The now famous filmmaker holds a grudge and refuses to cast the actor, who she believes treated her initial offer in an insulting way. Yes, it sounds petty. But it also sounds plausible in the film world.

Meanwhile, a recent college graduate wants to work at Method Entertainment. Hyun-joo (Joo Hyun-young from “Extraordinary Attorney Woo“) has a contact there, who viewers are led to believe may be her father. Regardless, Tae-oh would like to keep her a secret and tries to persuade her to return to Busan and work elsewhere.

The subplot I was most involved with begins in the second episode, with Jae-in dismissing a persistent potential suitor on a dating app. It turns out he’s the head of the Seoul Revenue Agency’s investigation team. Played by Noh Sang-hyun (“Pachinko“),  Sang-wook seemingly is getting his revenge on her by auditing Method Entertainment. If you think the two will end up dating, then you are correct! Honestly though? Their relationship felt very real, both in the chemistry between the actors and in the way Jae-in used her hectic schedule as an excuse to not be present when it was convenient for her.

Meta Moment: “Space Sweepers” star Jin Seon-Kyu and Lee Hee-Joon (“Mouse”) make guest appearances as top actors who are rivals. At one point, Lee slams Jin for starring in the big-budget outer space film. ㅋㅋ

Airdates: Twelve 60-minute episodes aired from November 7 to December 13, 2022 on tvN.

Spoiler Alert: The relationship between twentysomething newbie Hyun-joo (Joo Hyun-young of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo“) and Tae-Oh, an agent twice her age, causes all kinds of rumblings at work. Is he cheating on his wife with this young cookie? I think most people will figure out early on that she is indeed his daughter. When he and his wife were on a break, he had a one-night stand with a woman in Busan. Nine months later…

Though he is the one responsible for her existence, Tae-oh treats her horribly. Instead of doing right by her, he was an absentee father who visited her once a year. He never told his wife about her. And in a desperate attempt to get her out of Method, he asks a colleague at a different agency to hire her. Does Tae-oh realize that man basically uses the casting couch for women? Does he even care? He essentially offered his daughter to a sexual predator!

No matter what the showrunners did to soften him up as the series progressed, I didn’t care about him at all. And when his wife forgave him and took him back… ugh.

There was a potential ick factor when Hyun-joo becomes friends with a fledgling actor named Eun-gyul (played by Shin Hyeon-seung), who is represented by Method Entertainment. They almost kiss, but don’t, which is a good thing because Eun-gyul is Tae-oh’s son. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! I was hoping that maybe Eun-gyul was his wife’s son from a previous marriage. But no, he is Tae-oh’s biological son. 

© 2022 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved