The family of the late South Korean actress and singer Sulli has publicly called on actor Kim Soo Hyun and director Lee Sa Rang to clarify details regarding a nude scene in the film, claiming it was far more explicit than originally scripted.
Released in 2017, the action film Real where both Sulli and Kim Soo Hyun starred in, was known for its intense sequences, including nude scenes. It was directed by Lee Sa Rang, who also co-founded GOLDMEDALIST, the agency representing Kim Soo Hyun.
According to Sulli’s family, she experienced severe emotional distress following the filming of the movie where she received backlash for portraying its intense and explicit scenes, particularly about posing nude in some of the movie’s scenes.
On March 28, Sulli’s older brother released an official statement through Sports Kyunghyang as reported by Soompi, raising concerns about the filming of the controversial bedroom scene in Real.
The late idol’s family began their statement by extending condolences to the family of the late actress Kim Sae Ron who was previously revealed to be in a past relationship with the actor.
“First, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of the late Kim Sae Ron,” the statement read.
“Over the past six years, we have endured immense grief and sorrow, but we have also been deeply grateful for the support and kindness extended to us by many people. It is for this reason that we could not turn a blind eye to the tragic passing of Kim Sae Ron as if it were unrelated to us,” they added. “We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Kim Sae Ron’s bereaved family.”
Acknowledging their shared grief and loss, they then detailed their concerns regarding the movie, emphasizing information they received during Sulli’s funeral who tragically passed away at the age of 25 in 2019.
They questioned why Sulli had to personally film the explicit scenes despite the alleged presence of a body double on set. They also claimed to have heard from staff and actors that the bedroom scene with Kim Soo Hyun was not originally scripted to be as detailed as it appeared in the final cut.
“Back in 2019, during Sulli’s funeral, we heard concerning information regarding the filming of the 2017 film “Real,” particularly about the bedroom scene. Because this matter was not widely known at the time, we also could not verify the exact facts, but we learned that a body double did exist and was present on set, despite claims that the body double was ill and couldn’t attend,” her relative
In the their statement, Sulli’s family raised three key questions: whether the bedroom scene’s details were different from the original script, why the body double was not used despite reportedly being available on set, and whether the claim of the body double’s absence due to illness was accurate, as funeral attendees suggested otherwise.
“Why was Sulli persuaded and thus, pressured into filming the bedroom and nude scene herself?,” the brother questioned.
The family stated that these concerns were “based on facts” and urged Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Sa Rang to respond and clarify the issue.
“As the person directly involved is no longer with us, confirming the truth is difficult. However, we still hope that Kim Soo Hyun and director Lee Sa Rang (Lee Ro Be) will clarify the following matters,” Sulli’s brother stated.
In response, GOLDMEDALIST provided a brief message, saying, “We are currently in the process of verifying the facts,” as quoted by Soompi.
The public statement of Sulli’s family comes amid growing scrutiny of Kim Soo Hyun’s alleged role in the emotional distress that contributed to Kim Sae Ron’s passing.
