A number of “steamy” s‌‌e‌‌x‌ sce‌nes were originally planned for “Crazy Rich Asians,” screenwriter Adele Lim said.

However, director Jon M. Chu and producers decided to axe them at the earliest opportunity, leaving the Warner Bros. film with a PG-13 rating.

“When I did my first draft of the movie, the producers and director Jon Chu made fun of me because I had all these hot, steamy, getting-it-on scenes,” Lim told Vulture at the recent Women in Film Oscar Party. “That’s the kind of writer I am, which is true — but also, it’s a bigger thing. It’s a movie for women and we never see Asian men in that light. Give the people what they want!”

She added, “Sometimes people don’t know what they want until they see it, and walking across are perfectly chiseled abs. And I’m like, yes.”

It comes as no surprise, then, that “Crazy Rich Asians” generously showcased shirtless men. Speaking to Bustle, Lim elaborated on the need to portray Asian men in a different light.

“A lot of Asian women [in pop culture] are depicted as s‌‌e‌‌x workers, or v‌ic‌tim‌s in hu‌‌m‌an traf‌f‌icki‌ng … and the men are strictly relegated to these tech-y, as‌exu‌al roles,” she said. “The opening shot of Pierre Png, who plays Astrid’s husband, in the shower — these are foreign images for us, that we want the men to be viewed in full ways. And we want people to get used to that idea.”

Lim, who co-wrote the film with Peter Chiarelli, revealed that she “absolutely” wanted to obj‌ecti‌fy Asian men. It remains unclear if she will take part in writing the sequels, but she hopes that they would welcome all the se‌xin‌ess.

“I want to see that across all platforms, honestly. Somebody asked me recently: Is it about o‌bjec‌tif‌‌ying Asian men? They didn’t want to use the word objectify, but I said, absolutely! Because they haven’t been seen in that light before. I want to see more of it! I want it out there,” Lim said.

Ultimately, her goal is to show that Asians are not at all different from everyone else.

“The point is not to say that we’re not a certain thing. The point is to say that we’re people, just like anyone else.”

While her “st‌ea‌m‌‌y” s‌‌e‌‌x scenes never made the cut, Lim is content that the film was cherished worldwide — cashing $238 million in total sales.

“I probably had them getting more into it than taste would allow. And I’m really glad I had restraining influences in the movie pulling it back so it was appropriate for a global audience. But no, if I had it my way, [it’d be] absolutely [se‌‌‌xi‌‌er]. You hardly see that chemistry in the media.”

Featured Image via Warner Bros. Pictures