In an interview held in Seoul (Korea) on May 19, director Park Joon Hwa appeared in front of the media with a heavy face and apologized for the wave of criticism aimed at the TV series "Perfect crown" directed by him.
Director Park shared: "I once hoped the movie would become a healing and fun memory for the audience, but in the end we created a situation that made everyone feel uncomfortable. There is no excuse at all.
As the representative of the production crew, I believe that I am the one who must take the greatest responsibility. I sincerely apologize to the audience”.
Perfect Crown" is set in fictional South Korea under a constitutional monarchy in the 21st century, but has been entangled in historical distortions related to royal rituals, detracting from South Korea's sovereign identity; and has details that evoke Chinese culture.
While explaining and apologizing for the controversial scenes, director Park Joon Hwa burst into tears when recalling the audience's reaction.
He shared that he once watched a video online recording the scene of an elderly audience member watching a ballroom dance segment between two characters Sung Hee Joo (IU) and Dai Quan Lee An (Byeon Woo Seok). That elderly audience member reacted very positively, and said the movie was "very interesting" while watching with his son.
The director said that moment made him extremely touched, and at the same time felt even more guilty towards the audience who simply wanted to seek healing and comfort from the film.
Previously, immediately after the film ended, IU and Byeon Woo Seok posted a letter of apology to the audience. The two actors admitted that they did not think more thoroughly and deeply about the context and historical significance contained in the work.
Regarding this, director Park Joon Hwa felt very guilty when the actors had to endure many harsh criticisms, while they were only doing exactly what he requested.
Regarding the controversy that IU's acting was criticized as "too excessive", the director explained that it was originally his intention. He wanted the character Hee Joo to appear with a truly ambitious, emotional and somewhat dramatic personality, in the true style of a romantic comic book female lead.
According to him, if acting too realistically, this character will become cold and lack appeal. He praised IU for successfully turning a character that is easily perceived as rigid into a more vivid and emotional one.
Meanwhile, Byeon Woo Seok was criticized for his poor and quite "stiff" expressions. However, the director also admitted that he was the one who asked the actor to restrain his emotions, because the image of Dai Quan Lee An is built as a calm person who is not easy to express his inner self.
He wants this character to start changing emotions after love explodes, so that the character development process creates more weight towards the end of the film.
The director appreciated Byeon Woo Seok's expression of eyes and sadness, saying it is extremely suitable for the image of a lonely and burdened prince.
