Netflix’s new show “Bridgerton” may be a hit, but not necessarily for all the right reasons. Apparently, the show’s steamy sex scenes between actors Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor are a hot item on porn sites and the streaming giant is now fighting to quell the piracy.
“Pirated nude sex scenes from the period piece have racked up hundreds of thousands of views on adult video-streaming platforms, leaving Netflix execs struggling to yank the unauthorized shared footage,” reports Fox News. “The erotically charged soap opera — based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling series of novels, created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by ‘Scandal’ queen Shonda Rhimes — is set in the competitive world of Regency London during the debutante season.”
“Many clips have already been removed from porn platforms after Netflix issued warnings about ‘misuse of their intellectual property’ — but it’s apparently difficult for the streaming giant to keep up with the shady business of rogue online smut,” the report added.
Speaking to The Sun, a Netflix insider expressed dismay that some scenes from the show had been displayed alongside some deeply obscene material.
“’Bridgerton’s sex scenes appearing alongside some of the most obscene material the web has to offer has sparked horror and anger,” the insider said. “Raunchy set pieces have contributed to the buzz but it is a prestige drama based on best-selling novels. To peddle scenes as pure smut is beyond the pale.”
“It’s been particularly distressing for Phoebe and Regé-Jean, two young actors who signed on for the role of a lifetime and did not consent to being exploited in this way,” the insider added.
Previously speaking with TheWrap, actress Phoebe Dynevor said she never felt the sex scenes were meant to be exploited.
“It never felt like the sex scenes were just there for the sake of the sex scenes,” she said. “They really told a story. They told Daphne’s sexual evolution and it was really important to get them right.”
Netflix found itself at the center of controversy earlier this year when it released a poster for the movie “Cuties” that featured pre-teen girls in sexually suggestive poses. The company apologized after severe online backlash. “We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for ‘Cuties.’ It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which premiered at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description,” Netflix said in a statement.
In response to the backlash, Netflix defended the film as “a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. It’s an award winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up – and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.”
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos also defended “Cuties” by arguing that American audiences do not understand it.
“It’s a little surprising in 2020 America that we’re having a discussion about censoring storytelling,” said Sarandos. “It’s a film that is very misunderstood with some audiences, uniquely within the United States. The film speaks for itself. It’s a very personal coming of age film, it’s the director’s story and the film has obviously played very well at Sundance without any of this controversy and played in theaters throughout Europe without any of this controversy.”
French director Maïmouna Doucouré has also defended her film as a “feminist” work that aims to sound the alarm about the current sexualization of children.
“It’s because I saw so many things and so many issues around me lived by young girls, that I decided to make this film and sound an alarm and say, ‘We need to protect our children,’” Doucouré said on a panel for French filmmakers at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.