[Sportschosun reporter Jo Ji-young] Director Jeong Ji-woo, 58, opened up about his feelings regarding the controversies surrounding The Scandal and Nana.
Jeong Ji-woo, who directed the Netflix series The Scandal, written by Lee Seung-young and Ahn Hye-seung, met with Sportschosun on the afternoon of the 28th in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. He spoke candidly about returning with The Scandal after four years, following the release of the Netflix series Somebody in 2022, as well as the unexpected harsh criticism directed at the series.
The Scandal tells the story of a woman whose extraordinary talent makes it impossible for her to remain confined to the life of a Joseon-era woman, a brazen and dangerous wager on love with Joseon's greatest ladies' man, and another woman caught up in that wager. The series transposes French author Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses to the Joseon era. It is also a remake of the 2003 film Untold Scandal, directed by Lee Jae-yong.
Beginning with his 1999 feature debut Happy End, a boldly unconventional film that made waves in Korean cinema, Jeong Ji-woo has fearlessly explored the human psyche. His filmography includes the 2012 release Eungyo, which delved into the human interior; the 2017 thriller Silence, where truth and desire become intertwined; the 2019 film Tune in for Love, which delicately portrayed subtle emotional currents; and Somebody, which captured the hidden fractures in human relationships with a distinctive visual style. Known for detailed portrayals of his characters' psychology and inner lives, Jeong took on his second series with The Scandal. His direction drew attention for focusing on the complex inner worlds of characters who develop their own self-awareness in an era of oppression and taboos.
Contrary to expectations, however, The Scandal faced harsh criticism soon after its release, including comparisons with the original film and off-screen controversies involving the cast. Viewers complained that expanding a film running just over two hours into an eight-episode series made the narrative feel drawn out, less convincing, and tedious in pace. Most notably, Nana, who played Hui-yeon, a widow, became embroiled in a lip-filler controversy after viewers said that her excessively full lips disrupted immersion in the period-drama setting. The issue was brought to a close when Nana apologized on a fan communication platform on the 22nd, saying, "If my lips made viewers uncomfortable, that was my fault. I think it was a personal choice that was not right for me as an actor."
Jeong Ji-woo first expressed his discomfort with comparisons to the film. He stated, "I am viewing the current audience response with mixed feelings. As I said at the press conference, the series The Scandal is a story that starts anew from the original novel. The central question throughout the project was, 'Why remake this now?' So I am flustered that the discussion about the connection between the film and the series has continued for so long. I had not actually anticipated that kind of debate."
He continued, "It is not that I failed to anticipate controversy; rather, I found myself wondering whether I had imagined it becoming this massive. There was even a period when the production team and I held lengthy discussions about changing the title itself to give it a different tone from the original film. It would be burdensome for both me and the actors to bring up the film's controversial situations. The actors are all senior figures, and I am also working with a film made by a senior director, so there are certainly aspects that concern me." He added, "I focused on the relationship and on why Jo Won, played by Ji Chang-wook, could not break free from Madam Jo, played by Son Ye-jin. He could not betray Madam Jo, which is why the story reached that conclusion. That was the most fascinating aspect of this classic novel. I wondered how, in the setting of 1782, a man who could not escape a female-dominated relationship could have been created. It was an extremely fascinating point and the spark for turning it into a new story. I found it so unusual that I decided to direct it."
He went on, "It was not simply a matter of women being in a position of power; the work also reversed traditional gender roles. The layers of the relationships were highly three-dimensional and multifaceted. From the highest-ranking yangban families to the slaves, the story was structured from beginning to end around how women navigated that era. By looking broadly at the characters through the original novel's central impulse, I had the opportunity to portray the late 18th century, and it was a very enjoyable experiment. However, I am responsible for much of the current controversy."
Explaining why he chose Nana as part of the unconventional casting, he reflected, "The moment when Hui-yeon, betrayed in love, had to figure out how to live was extremely important for Nana. I thought Hui-yeon had to function as a character who says she will live on defiantly, right in front of everyone. If love were everything to her, she would have no strength to get back on her feet after being betrayed. She had to be a character who gained strength by declaring that she would survive and live on to prove them wrong. That was the most important key to The Scandal." He continued, "Nana is someone who will go on to make great works. She is an actor who pushes her body to the limit in order to give a raw performance. She became so deeply immersed in Hui-yeon's emotions that there were many moments when I worried about her as a director. Nana thought it was right for this character to die. She said, 'How can she go on living after being betrayed in love?' But I explained that if that happened, there would be no reason to make this story from the original work. I persuaded her that Hui-yeon was a character who could never die. I told her that she had to survive somehow. Once, even after all the staff had left the set following a shoot, she stayed with me and we talked for more than three hours."
Taking responsibility for the lip-filler controversy that put Nana through a difficult time, he said, "It is all my fault. It is the director's responsibility. I was looking at something more important than that, so I did not realize it would become an issue. I had countless conversations and spent long hours with Nana discussing the character's emotions. Every visual conclusion that appeared within the frame is the director's responsibility, and that is how it should be seen."
Finally, Jeong Ji-woo said, "I am, so-called, an 'erotic director,' aren't I? Sometimes I wonder whether I should stop now. To be honest, I think we may have reached a point where discomfort is consuming the essence of the work. I had been wrestling with that issue even before The Scandal. While directing this genre, I sometimes felt as though I had reached a dead end. I am using both the force that pushes toward density, tension, and intensity, and the force that pulls me away from objectifying sexuality. I wonder whether the time has come to devise a completely different approach to depicting love scenes." He added, "I made Fourth Place and Tune in for Love, but genres like The Scandal have become extremely difficult subjects. In one respect, I think that is a healthy direction. At the same time, methods of making depictions related to violence more provocative are accelerating, while the environment surrounding sexual depictions clearly requires us to slow down and find another direction. The level of difficulty has risen that much. So I am preparing my next project as something that is not about love."
The Scandal stars Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and Nana. The screenplay was written by Lee Seung-young, writer of The Art of Negotiation, and Ahn Hye-song, writer of Somebody. Jeong Ji-woo, who directed Eungyo, Tune in for Love, and Somebody, served as director. The series was released on Netflix on the 18th.
Reporter Jo Ji-young soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
