The Weeknd Says He ‘Expected’ Negative Reaction to ‘The Idol’

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In defense of Jocelyn. Lily Rose Depp And The weekend have shared their thoughts on the backlash The idolwhich premiered on HBO in June 2023.

The series — in which Depp plays troubled pop star Jocelyn — started making headlines more than a year before it premiered. In April 2022, Director Amy Seimetz left the project, reportedly after completing six episodes. At the time, deadline reported that The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) felt the show leaned too much towards a “female perspective” with the focus on Jocelyn.

“The Idol creative team continues to build, refine and develop their vision for the show and they’ve focused on a new creative direction,” HBO said. Variety in a statement at the time. “The production will adjust its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series.”

Almost a year later, Rolling stone published an exposé describing the series’ production as a “s–tshow.” According to the article, the show was hastily rewritten to include more sex and nudity afterwards Sam Levinson took control after Seimetz’s departure.

In response, The Weeknd tweeted an excerpt from the show in which Dan Levi‘s character suggests one Rolling stone profile to Jocelyn. Before she can answer, the “Blinding Lights” singer’s character, Tedros, answers for her. “Rolling stone? Aren’t they a bit irrelevant?” he asks. In his caption for the clip, The Weeknd added, “@RollingStone did we upset you?”

HBO, meanwhile, denied the report, claiming that the first draft of the show “didn’t meet HBO standards,” so the network went back to the drawing board. “Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative and mutually respectful work environment, and last year the team made creative changes that they believed were in the best interests of both the production and the cast and crew .” a network representative said Variety in a statement in March 2023.

After The idol premiered in June 2023, the debate over whether the show is misogynist continued online. A Vulture critic described the sex scenes as “like vague rape fantasy porn”, while The playlist called The idol “rough, rude and sexist.”

Levinson, for his part, is unbothered by the criticism. “That makes it exciting, that these discussions are fraught,” says de Euphoria creator told The New York Times in June 2023. “I think it excites us all to run headfirst into that fire.”

Depp has also expressed her admiration for the show and for her co-creators. In response to Rolling stone‘s article about The idolthe King actress declared Levinson “the greatest director” she has ever worked with. “Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued,” she shared. E! News in a statement in March 2023. “Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way – the most important thing to him is not just what his actors think of the work, but how we feel performing it.”

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