The Queen Who Crowns: Director responds on criticism over sexually explicit scenes

Although the moments received a lot of attention, the director made it clear that their purpose was never to be used for shock value.

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The series’ sexual scenes have drawn a lot of criticism for The Queen Who Crowns, especially given the disparity in content between TVING and tvN. Director Kim Sang Ho responded to the mounting issue by denying any personal influence over the choice to feature such sequences.

Sang Ho, clarified to the South Korean news organization Hankyung on January 16, 2024, that the show’s production team had no intention of emphasizing sexual content, although the script did not specifically mention any naked or extremely provocative sequences. “The filming process involved communicating their significance to the plot, even though such scenes were not written in the script,” he said.

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The TVING version of The Queen Who Crowns was always supposed to be rated 19+ and have more mature content, according to Kim Sang Ho, who also went into detail about the show’s preparation phase. The actors were completely aware of the presence of graphic moments, which were discussed openly from the start of the casting process. The cast members were not under any pressure to film these scenes, the director stressed.

Although the obscene sequences were modified for the TVN broadcast, the unfiltered version was broadcasted by TVING, raising concerns about whether the streaming service included them to increase its customer base. The filmmaker also made it clear that the performers gave their permission for the scenes to be filmed and that body doubles and computer-generated imagery were used to depict any personal encounters.

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The director further stated that he was unable to provide a direct remark on the issue due to the ongoing dispute.

 

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