'Grand Duchess' Director: "Controversy Over IU and Byun Woo-seok's Acting? I Gave Extreme and Rational Acting Instructions" [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

Director Park Jun-hwa shared his thoughts on '21st Century Grand Duchess'.

Director Park Jun-hwa met with StarNews at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 19th, for an interview following the finale of the MBC Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Grand Duchess' (hereinafter 'Grand Duchess').

'Grand Duchess' is a drama depicting the fated romance of Seong Hee-ju (played by IU), a woman who possesses everything as a chaebol in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy in Korea but is frustrated by her lowly status as a commoner, and Prince Lee An (played by Byun Woo-seok), a sad man who is the king's son but can possess nothing. The final episode achieved a peak viewership rating of 13.8% (based on Nielsen Korea nationwide data).

'Grand Duchess' concluded its 12-episode run from April 10 to the 16th. The drama was hailed as MBC's most anticipated production of 2026 due to its massive budget of around 30 billion won and its glamorous casting featuring IU and Byun Woo-seok in the lead roles. However, from the first week of broadcast, the lead actors faced controversies over their acting, and later in the broadcast, several scenes in the drama were criticized for historical distortion.

Notably, in episode 11 of 'Grand Duchess', it was pointed out that during Prince Lee An's coronation ceremony, the crowd chanted 'Cheonsae' (a term used by vassal states belonging to an imperial empire) instead of 'Manse' (the symbol of an independent nation). Additionally, Prince Lee An was criticized for wearing 'Guryumyeongwan', a type of crown worn by feudal lords who are subjects of the emperor. Furthermore, it was also noted that Seong Hee-ju performed a Chinese-style tea ceremony.

In response, the production team of 'Grand Duchess' issued an official statement: "We have taken seriously the viewers' criticism that the scene where the king wears 'Guryumyeongwan' and the subjects chant 'Cheonsae' during the king's coronation ceremony undermines Korea's sovereign status. This incident occurred because we failed to carefully examine how Joseon's customs evolved throughout history."

They further admitted: "'21st Century Grand Duchess' is a drama with both romantic and alternate history elements. While there was a need for careful and in-depth consideration regarding the intersection of the fictional world and real historical context, we lacked sufficient effort to refine the world-building and examine it meticulously." The production team stated that they would modify the audio and subtitles of the problematic parts in future reruns, VOD, and OTT services of '21st Century Grand Duchess'.

-Why do you think controversies arose regarding the acting of the lead actors IU and Byun Woo-seok?

▶When I first read the script, my impression was that Hee-ju felt like a villain in the drama. I believed the uniqueness of this drama lay in its proactive nature. There was a woman who chased her desires and insisted on getting what she wanted. When such a person even attempted a contract marriage, I felt her desires had to be expressed in an extreme way. I thought this might make viewers feel uncomfortable or perceive it as harsh. I emphasized expressing momentary emotions more strongly in the acting. During filming, I noticed IU was acting in a particularly three-dimensional manner, which made me laugh more than usual. As for Woo-seok, he worked hard on his acting. Even from my perspective, I could see his efforts. The higher the character's position in the drama, the harder it is to express their emotions openly. I told (Byun Woo-seok) that I wanted him to show a more rational side rather than being swayed by Hee-ju, and we filmed accordingly. Woo-seok tried to pursue diversity within his acting, but I may have inadvertently held him back. I think he wanted to be recognized for capturing the prince's sorrow.

-There are reports that the actors made significant changes to the script while acting.

▶In our drama, emotions in detailed situations were often written only in the stage directions, not in the dialogue. There were also cases where the writer's intentions were not included in the lines. We made modifications and filmed accordingly. I believe we tried to create more rational situations. Since the writer was writing the script for the first time, there might have been awkward parts or scenes that could be perceived differently from the intended meaning. I tried to fill in those gaps on set.

-In China, there were reactions claiming that 'Korea acknowledged itself as a vassal state of China.'

▶The Joseon Dynasty still exists, and we have a sad history. Although the story began with the king, we failed to project the self-deprecating aspects within our history. I believe this was due to my ignorance.

-Especially, the expression 'Cheonsae' is not common in daily life. Did you not feel it was awkward even during filming?

▶The consultant was present at the time, but I do not know why it happened. We tried to express the 600th-year history of the Joseon Dynasty, but this was the result. It seems that the coronation ceremony, including the Guryumyeongwan, was depicted as a sad part of our history. I wanted to show how the coronation ceremony of the Joseon Dynasty was conducted, but I wonder if it would have been better to portray it as a self-deprecating image rather than the Joseon Dynasty at that time.

-How do you think the chemistry between IU and Byun Woo-seok was portrayed?

▶I wanted the actors to appear not only visually adorable but also stylish to anyone who saw them. These two seemed different from ordinary people. I hoped their combination would be well expressed in the drama.

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*This content was translated by AI.