Binge-worthy: Born For The Spotlight is a perfect platonic love story

Born For The Spotlight

Netflix 
★★★★★

Taiwanese series Born For The Spotlight has been hogging headlines in Taiwan since it premiered on Netflix on Nov 7. It is not difficult to see why.

The drama about the lives of fictional A-list actresses is anchored by, well, real-life A-listers. 

Award-winning stars like Hsieh Ying-hsuan, Cheryl Yang, Yang Kuei-mei, Cherry Hsieh, Annie Chen and Vicky Tseng, as well as newcomer Suri Lin, carry the series as actresses who have heartbreaks and insecurities, no matter how famous or glamorous they seem.

Helmed by actress-turned-director Yen Yi-wen of the beloved Taiwanese comedy-drama The Making Of An Ordinary Woman (2019 to 2021), the series has an unabashedly and authentically female point-of-view. Here are three reasons to tune in.

1. Platonic love story

There is a perfectly crafted romance holding this 12-parter together. And, no, it is not the adorable courtship between washed-up actress Chou Fan (Cheryl Yang) and cute bellhop Rogue (Zhan Huai-yun).

Instead, it is the platonic love story between Chou Fan and her former best friend, actress-turned-producer Ya-chih (Hsieh Ying-hsuan), that audiences will be invested in. 

The show opens with them no longer speaking to each other years after a major falling-out. An entire episode is devoted to showing how strong the bond between the two had been, and also, in subtle ways, the personality differences and professional jealousy that led to the breakdown of their relationship. 

The scene of their falling-out is an acting highlight for both Yang and Hsieh. It burns with the sort of resentment and hurt that only the people closest to you can inflict upon you.

Over the course of the show, their story follows the beats of a reconciliation romance, as Chou Fan tentatively reaches out to Ya-chih with the text: “I miss us.”

At one point, Chou Fan even pulls something akin to a grand romantic gesture to prove her sincerity in winning Ya-chih back. 

It is incredibly romantic, and highlights all the ways in which female friendships are intimate, life-affirming and devastating.

2. Unlikable heroine

Another great thing about this series is its willingness to have the women be unlikable.

Chief among them is the role of Shih Ai-ma (Lin), a young unknown determined to break into the industry. She is sly, spiteful and annoying.

While she does end up doing some immoral things, she is an authentic portrait of a young person who wants to be a famous actress very badly. 

Lin does a good job, imbuing Ai-ma with the frustration and impatience of someone who knows she is hardworking and talented, but cannot seem to get people to notice her. 

3. Day-to-day humour and meta-commentary

Yen is a veteran actress who wrote and directed the series, which is a love letter to show business. And like the similarly themed French comedy Call My Agent! (2015 to 2020), it brims with love for the industry while also making fun of it, especially the on-screen talent. 

There are funny lines and scenes embedded in the workaday portrait of the actresses, like competing for a prime spot in front of a media scrum; and a veteran star confidently saying “yes” when she assumes someone has recognised her, only for the person to mistake her for someone else. 

There is some sly humour in the meta-commentary.

Actress Cherry Hsieh is not a mother in real life but has become known for playing maternal roles, and also plays a single mother in this series. At one point, her character criticises another woman for not being qualified to play a mother as she has never been one.