Director Kim Chul-gyu, backed by Netflix, etc.

Director Kim Chul-gyu, who presented dark stories such as 'Flower of Evil', 'Confession', 'Chicago Typewriter', 'On the Way to the Airport', 'Daemul', and 'Hwang Jin-yi'. Then he embarked on a splendid transformation through the Netflix series 'Celebrity'. Director Kim Chul-gyu said that he did not spare production costs with the encouragement of Netflix and the production company. For him, 'celebrity' has become a challenge and a meaningful experience.

“Looking back on my career as a director, all of my works were very heavy and serious. As those who know me know, I have done serious and serious dramas. While working on previous works, I always thought that I wanted to try a light, trendy, light and colorful drama at least once. Then, in an instant, I met a 'celebrity' that was perfect for my needs. I thought that it was a meaningful experience to try a drama that was glamorous, extravagant, and at the same time a dead end."

'Celebrity' is the story of Ari (played by Park Kyu-young), who jumped into the world of money by becoming famous, and depicts the colorful and fierce faces of celebrities. The story of SNS, which is very close to our daily life, and the influencers who reign there as emerging aristocrats are excitingly unraveled.

Director Kim Chul-kyu operated his own SNS account to enhance the realism of 'Celebrity'. Until then, I didn't know SNS. He said, “I thought that I should use SNS even for the sake of my work. I think it is the most trendy area in this era because of the nature of SNS, and it is young. la," he said.

He continued, "I wanted to look into this world. I thought I should go in with the mindset of learning what the trendiest trend is and what the younger generation likes after encountering (SNS). I don't actively use SNS, so I don't have many followers. . About 1,500 people. The K was sweet, but I didn't use the cheat key."

Director Kim Cheol-gyu has lived his life saying, "I don't have to know." Still, I'm a person who does popular art, but I wonder if it's desirable for me to pretend I don't know about SNS, which is actually used a lot on a daily basis and affects many people's daily lives. I wanted to direct for a long time, so I tried a work like 'Celebrity'."

Director Kim Cheol-gyu showed various ways of expression that he had not tried in other dramas or movies at the ending of each episode of 'Celebrity'. In particular, the supercar that appears in the play was rented directly with the encouragement of Netflix and the production company. He said, "It accounts for a significant part of the production cost. Rather, Netflix and the production company encouraged it. I am afraid to call a cast member in a drama, but I have an obsession with managing production costs. This drama is not afraid to let the production company and Netflix fully compete. They told me to spend money instead. I am grateful.”

What the actors who appeared in 'Celebrity' have in common is that they are new faces. Director Kim Chul-gyu said, "Since the nature of the drama is like that, I looked for actors with an urban image. If possible, I tried to cast actors who are actively active on social media and actors who have acquaintances with influencers."

In addition, "If possible, I tried to make a fresh face. If possible, I excluded people who are well-known and familiar. Overall, I thought a lot that it would be nice if the characters gave a new and fresh feeling. Representatively, there are many people I haven't seen in the media except for Lee Chung-ah. I tried to discover and use new actors."

Among the new actors, the special cast lineup was spectacular. Starting with Lee Jun-ho, Seol In-ah, Jung Yu-jin, and (G)I-DLE Yuqi appeared. It is rumored that Lee Jun-ho, who worked with director Kim Chul-kyu through the drama 'Confession', chose to appear in a special role without even reading the script. Regarding this, director Kim Chul-kyu said, "It's the last scene and the last cut, but I wanted to leave a lingering impression. (The story) was organized, and I wanted to leave a lingering feeling that another person would be interested in or fascinated by watching the world. I asked for it because I almost wrote it. He was willing to do it. I am grateful."

Reporter Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia kkk39@tenasia.co.kr