BLACKPINK's Lisa accused of sexual harassment on the sets of her short film Dream; netizens react

Lisa and Kentaro

The newly released short film Dream, starring BLACKPINK member Lisa and Japanese actor-model Kentaro Sakaguchi, has sparked interest due to their natural chemistry. The song is from the K-pop diva's debut complete album Alter Ego. While the two appear together onscreen for the first time, their emotional, imperfect romance has left the audience heartbroken. Dream received 6.05 million views on YouTube in its first 24 hours, the highest start for a short film this year. However, the title resulted in Lisa facing a "sexual harassment" accusation.

What happened on the sets?

Lisa and Kentaro both shared behind-the-scenes photographs and videos from the film's production shortly after it was released. While fans were enthralled by their off-camera camaraderie, which appears to have effortlessly translated onscreen, one specific photo from the sets irritated many. Lisa is spotted biting Kentaro's arm playfully in front of the entire team. It is from the filming of a scene in which Lisa lies on the bed, clad entirely in white, recalling her memories with Kentaro.

Netizens reacted to the pictures from the sets, called it 'sexual harassment'

Netizens quickly responded on social media. One person expressed rage on X. The pair wrote: "Lisa from Blackpink is facing accusations of sexual harassment for allegedly biting Kentaro Sakaguchi off-camera, meanwhile her fans are deflecting with atomic bomb jokes aimed at the Japanese." A different person posted, "She's using her' woman card' to do this and don't be accused of anything if this were the other way around, he would have been accused of Sexual Assault." Some even chastised her admirers for defending her. "I find it disappointing that her fans have turned criticism of these events into hate speech against an entire ethnic group," according to a comment.

Lisa and Kentaro are depicted in the dream as lovers separated by death. The film employs trees and a lake as metaphors. We are familiar of Kentaro's acting prowess on Japanese screens, and he even appeared in the 2024 Korean drama What Comes After Love. Meanwhile, Lisa made her acting debut in the third season of HBO's The White Lotus as Mook.