Born for the Spotlight

Born for the Spotlight (Chinese: 影后) is a 2024 Taiwanese drama series directed and co-written by Yen Yi-wen. Starring Hsieh Ying-xuan, Cheryl Yang, and Hsueh Shih-ling, the series revolves around the stardom of actresses in Taiwan’s entertainment industry. The series consists of 12 episodes and had its world premiere of the first three episodes at the 29th Busan International Film Festival, followed by a release on Netflix on 7 November 2024.

Born for the Spotlight
Promotional poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	影后
Transcriptions
Genre	Drama
Written by	Yen Yi-wen Kitten Huang
Directed by	Yen Yi-wen
Starring	Hsieh Ying-xuan Cheryl Yang Hsueh Shih-ling
Country of origin	Taiwan
Original language	Mandarin
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12
Production
Producer	Ding Chang-yu
Running time	42–59 minutes
Production company	Third Man Entertainment
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	7 November 2024 (2024-11-07)

Premise

The series centers on the story of multiple starlet actresses and the sisterhood between Chou Fan and Hsueh Ya-chih, who were once close friends but parted ways after Hsieh faded out of showbiz to become a producer while Chou remained onscreen.^[1][2]

Cast

Main

• Hsieh Ying-xuan as Hsueh Ya-chih, an actress-turned-artist manager^[1]
• Cheryl Yang as Chou Fan, an acclaimed but washed-up actress^[1]
• Hsueh Shih-ling as Lee Tzu-chi, a director and Ya-chih's husband^[3]
• Annie Chen as Hsin-ni, a beauty who began her career with an erotic film^[3]
• Cherry Hsieh as Ko Li-fen, a veteran soap opera actress^[3]
• Yang Kuei-mei as Yu Yen-fang, an acclaimed veteran actress whose family live in the United States^[3]
• Chung Hsin-ling as Ms. Chubby, Ai-ma's first manager^[3]
• Vicky Tseng as Pan Yin-yin, a diva and lead actress of a zombie movie^[3]
• Chloe Lin as Shih Ai-ma, a young starlet^[3]
• RD Huang as Gecko, Yin-yin and Ko Li-fen's agent^[3]
• Zhan Huai-yun as Liu-mang (Tseng Ya-hsin), a bellboy at the hotel where Chou Fan stays^[3]

Recurring

• Chan Tzu-hsuan as Ms. Pumpkin, the daughter of a notable showbiz family who was forced to debut in acting^[3]
• Angel Lee as TB, Ko Li-fen's daughter, Pumpkin's ex-girlfriend and writer of her directorial debut feature^[3]
• Wes Lo as Chang Po-lei, Hsin-ni's secret boyfriend and heir to family business^[4]
• Rosen Tsai as Chen Wei-jen, Ai-ma's supportive boyfriend^[4]
• George Chen as Sega, a dance teacher and Gecko's love interest^[5]
• Chen Chia-kuei as a die-hard fan of Chou Fan^[6]

Special appearances

• Blue Lan as an actor in Lee Tzu-chi's film^[7]
• Liu Kuan-ting as a wannabe actor and Chou Fan's one-night stand.^[8]
• Sara Yu as Liu-mang's mother^[7]
• Eleven Yao as Chang Po-lei's fiancée^[7]
• Jack Yao as a co-star of Ko Li-fen^[7]

Guest

• Lou Yi-an as Liu, a perverted film director^[6]
• Duan Chun-hao as Chang Kuo-lung, Yin-yin's ex-husband^[9]
• Michael Huang as Wang, a media tycoon and Pumpkin's father^[10]
• Jake Hsu as Director Wang, a renowned director and Pumpkin's elder brother^[11]
• Fu Lei as Jen Ke-chien, a former co-star and lover of Yen-fang^[9]
• Chu Chung-heng as Tang Fu-sheng, Li-fen's husband and TB's father^[10]
• Honduras as Ma Yi-ren, a veteran agent succeeding Gecko^[12]
• Phil Hou as Sun, a demanding comedy director^[13]

Production

Development

Director and writer Yen Yi-wen conceived the screenplay based on her own acting career after winning awards and interviewed several fellow award-winning actresses during the early stages of screenwriting.^[14] The screenplay was presented at the 2022 Taipei Golden Horse Film Project Promotion, where it received the Catchplay Development Award.^[15][16] The series is set to be produced by Third Man Entertainment, with Kitten Huang attached as co-writer.^[16] Hsieh Ying-xuan and Cheryl Yang were cast in the lead roles prior to the 57th Golden Bell Awards later that year.^[17] The series was officially announced for production in early April 2023, with Yang Kuei-mei and Cherry Hsieh joining the cast.^[17] In February 2024, Netflix announced that it had acquired the series, along with a projected release date of 2024.^[18][19] Hsueh Shih-ling, Annie Chen, Chung Hsin-ling, Vicky Tseng, Chloe Lin, RD Huang, and Zhan Huai-yun were announced as the remaining ensemble cast in March.^[14] An official trailer was released on 29 August.^[20][21]

Filming

Principal photography began in late April 2023,^[17] with location shooting taking place at a nightclub in Zhongshan District, Taipei, on 27 April, where Yen Yi-wen, Cheryl Yang, and Liu Kuan-ting were spotted on set.^[8][22] Filming also took place at Illume Taipei on 26 May, featuring Vicky Tseng and RD Huang,^[8][22] and concluded in mid-July.^[23]

Release

Born for the Spotlight consists of 12 episodes, and the first three episodes were screened at the 29th Busan International Film Festival in October 2024, marking its world premiere,^[24][25] followed by a release on Netflix on 7 November.^[26]

Reception

Joel Keller of Decider gave a positive review of Born for the Spotlight, highlighting its "amiable charm" from the chemistry among the lead cast and noting that, despite its soapy nature and disjointed storytelling, the series effectively captures the friendships and dynamics of women "navigating a cutthroat industry" with "fun" interactions and performances among the actresses.^[27] Kwok Ching-yin of Esquire found the series to be "compelling", praising the strong female ensemble and the captivating performances of Cheryl Yang and Hsieh Ying-xuan, which effectively showcase the complexities of the Taiwanese entertainment industry, despite some "over-the-top performances" and a tendency for forced dialogue.^[28]

Berton Hsu, writing for The News Lens, compared the series to director Yen Yi-wen's previous work The Making of an Ordinary Woman (2019–2021), noting the more complex worldbuilding and challenging portrayals of the Taiwanese film industry, while commending its high production value and star-studded cast.^[29] Wang Tin-yu, writing for CommonWealth Magazine, offered a rather critical review, lamenting the series for portraying female characters primarily defined by their relationships with men and suggesting that it fails to challenge existing gender norms, instead reinforcing stereotypes while expressing a desire for more nuanced narratives that explore women's autonomy and inner growth.^[30]