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.
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]
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]
