How realistic do managers think about drama ′Behind Every Star′

▲This photo, provided by tvN, shows "Behind Every Star." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) -- "You should pick up the phone 24/7. You have to pick up even when you eat, sleep, poop, and wash. Working overtime and staying up late are frequent. I can't guarantee your privacy. Are you okay?" (Cheon Je-in's line in the drama)

Cheon Je-in (Kwak Sun-young), the head of the management team with 14 years of experience at Method Entertainment, a major entertainment agency, says this to So Hyun-joo (Joo Hyun-young), who wants to work as a manager.

So Hyun-joo nods her head confidently, but since her first day of the training, she is told to leave the place by agency's main actor Cho Yeo-jeong before she can even start working properly due to her slip of the tongue.

The tvN drama "Behind Every Star," which revolves around the daily lives and sorrows of managers working with top stars in Korea, is going viral with its realistic stories of domestic entertainment industry.

The drama focuses on the lives of managers who are struggling behind to make their stars shine more, but at the same time, it also depicts humane characteristic of stars.

In the drama, different actors appear in each episode with their real names and lead the story. Actor Cho Yeo-jeong, who made a special appearance in the first episode, is rejected by her dream director Quentin Tarantino because she is too old for the role. She got the role after agreeing that she will undergoes dermatological treatment, but she decides to just enjoy getting holder and gives up her work.

Team leader A of an entertainment agency who has worked as a manager for about 10 years said that the first episode was most relatable. He said, "There is a point when actor hits the top and has to slowly come down, but there are times when managers have to persuade actors about this," adding, "In reality, I think it captures well the worries actors and managers face at least once."

The scripts that reflect the actors' actual characteristics and their situation also add up a sense of reality. Actors Jin Sun-kyu and Lee Hee-joon, who appeared as rivals in the second episode, depicted their past experience at a theater company, while actors Kim Soo-mi and Seo Hyo-rim, who appeared together as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the third episode, actually are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Actress Soo-hyun, who is both parenting and acting, depicted the real difficulties and slumps that she experiences after giving birth.

The drama is praised even among entertainment industry workers or delicately showing the reality and atmosphere of the industry.

One official of an entertainment agency, said, "It is true that some actors who are alumni of the same school feel a subtle sense of competition, and there are also actors struggling to find babysitters to take care of their children."

Another manager at a different entertainment agency who has worked in that field for 12 years, said, "It is not realistic that one entertainment team leader manages so many famous actors like in the drama, but regarding other parts, we can see that production team has done a lot of investigation.

Different manager said, "Mangers transferring between agencies was also realistic," adding, "In fact, there is a scouting competition because actors often follow managers when managers move agencies."

Based on the French drama "Dix concentration," the drama faithfully follows the original characters and story development, but also includes details that can only be seen in the Korean entertainment industry.

Managers struggle to extend their contracts with demanding actors, while getting a script for Kim Eun-hee's new work through the production company in advance.

The writers hate looking at actors who care more about their hairstyle, makeup, and costumes than acting, and the director is having a hard time because of the actors who engage in childish fight at the shooting set.

Producer Baek Seung-ryong said in an earlier press conference that "The most important feature in this drama is reality," adding, "I had a lot of pre-interviews with the actors to show reality"

Baek also said, "I tried to listen to their stories, and I talked a lot about their stories with the writers," adding, "I researched a lot to make the drama more realistic."

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

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How realistic do managers think about drama 'Behind Every Star'