Actor Lee Sung-kyoung returned to the small screen on Friday with a behind-the-scenes showbiz drama titled “Sh**ting Stars.”

The tvN series is Lee's first in two years.

“Sh**ting Stars" is a rom-com set in Korea's entertainment industry. The Korean title of the series "Byeoldongbyeol" translates to shooting stars. But to indicate a central theme, the series uses asterisks in the English title to suggest a less celestial description of the industry and the people in it.

Lee portrays Oh Han-byul, a PR person who develops a love-hate relationship with her talent agency's star actor, Gong Tae-sung, played by actor Kim Young-dae).

"When I first read the script for 'Sh**ting Stars,' I thought that it was very close to the reality [of Korean show business]," said Lee in an online press conference on Wednesday. "I would say the script is like 95 percent similar. As a celebrity myself, I could sympathize with the events in the script."

The drama is directed by Lee Soo-hyun, best known for directing the MBC drama "Find Me in Your Memory" (2020), and written by Choi Yeon-soo, who actually used to work in an entertainment agency before she became a writer.

Lee said that he wasn't initially aware that Choi had worked in the entertainment industry. "But after reading her script, I thought to myself that she must have either worked in the industry or have expert knowledge in this area."

Other actors in "Sh**ting Stars" are Yoon Jong-Hoon, who portrays a team leader of a talent agency, Kim Yoon-Hye as a celebrity manager and Sojin as an entertainment reporter.

Through its 16 episodes, the drama will feature various cameos as well. Actors Park Jung-min, Yoon Byung-hee, Seo Yi-Sook and Kim Seul-gi made appearances in the first and second episodes.


Those episodes of "Sh**ting Stars" received a local viewership rating of 1.8 percent according to Nielson Korea on Sunday.

The series airs Fridays and Sundays at 10:40 p.m. It is also available on streaming platforms Tving and iQIYI.

Lee is also being considered for the female lead in an upcoming melodrama series "I Call it Love," according to YG Entertainment on Friday.

"The actor is positively reviewing the script," said the agency in a statement.

That series centers around a man and a woman who initially seek revenge against one another, but later come to understand each other and develop a romantic relationship.

Actor Kim Young-kwang is the male lead in the series, which is slated to premiere in the first half of 2023.

Lee Sung-kyoung, 32, debuted as a model in 2008. After being cast in a supporting role in SBS's drama series "It's Okay It's Love" in 2014, she quit modeling.

In the following year, she was cast as the lead in MBC's "Flower of Queen" and won the Rookie Actor Prize in the annual MBC Drama Awards.

Lee is also known for her roles in dramas "Cheese in the Trap" (2016), "Doctors" (2016), "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo" (2016) and "Dr Romantic 2" (2020), and films "Love+Sling" (2018) and "Miss & Mrs. Cops" (2019).

Lee is a talented pianist as well. Before modeling, she had been preparing to become a professional pianist for about 10 years. She showcased her musical skills in the tvN drama series "About Time" (2018) while portraying an aspiring musical actor.


Lee Sung-kyoung


Date of birth: Aug. 10, 1990
Zodiac sign: Leo
Birthplace: Goyang, Gyeonggi
Debut: 2011 advertisement of SK Telecom's service called hoppin
Agency: YG Entertainment

Lee Sung-kyoung started as a model in 2008 at the age of 18 after making it into the top 11 of the SBS's Supermodel Contest. After her debut, Lee walked runways for local fashion brands such as Steve J & Yoni P and beyond closet. She quit modeling in 2014 to become a full-time actor. Her first job was a supporting role in the SBS drama series "It's Okay It's Love" in 2014. Lee was cast as a lead in her next drama, MBC's "Flower of Queen" (2015), for which she received the Rookie Actor Award during the annual MBC Drama Awards in 2015. Lee's other works include tvN's "Cheese in the Trap" (2016), MBC's "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016) and SBS's "Dr Romantic 2" (2020). She has also starred in films "Broker" (2016), Love+Sling (2018) and "Miss & Mrs. Cops" (2019), and have done dubbing for the Korean version of the animation film "Trolls" in 2017.

This information was confirmed by YG Entertainment on April 22, 2022.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]