Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: HBO’s ‘The Idol’ was embroiled in controversy since the time ‘Euphoria’ famed Sam Levinson was roped in to direct the show based on a pop icon’s life played by Lily-Rose Depp. The show is co-created by The Weeknd who also stars alongside Depp. As HBO dropped the trailer of the show which they publicized as coming from the "sick and twisted minds" of Levinson and The Weeknd, it was slammed by their fans.
In March, Rolling Stone published a report, where they interviewed 13 crew members from the show who exposed some grueling details from the show slamming The Weeknd and Levinson. However, Depp soon came out defending the director whom she termed as the “best director” she has “ever worked with.”
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The ‘Wolf’ actress said, "Sam is, for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with," before adding, "Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input, and opinions more valued. Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way—it matters to him, more than anything, not only what his actors think about the work, but how we feel performing it,” as per E! News.
The daughter of Johnny Depp further added, Levinson, who is infamous for showing nudity on-screen, "hires people whose work he esteems and has always created an environment in which I felt seen, heard, and appreciated."
The show reportedly has graphic sexual content and disturbing scenes of nudity. Recently it also shocked the audience at Cannes with scenes of 'masturbation'. Depp is also involved in such a graphic scene where her character gets beaten by The Weeknd's character which gives him an erection.
‘It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing’
HBO ordered the series based on the journey of a pop icon played by Lily-Rose Depp. The Weeknd, his producing partner Reza Fahim, and 'Euphoria' creator Sam Levinson collaborated on the series initially. Amy Seimetz, who helmed ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ and a few episodes of ‘Atlanta’ was attached to direct. After the shooting was in progress for months, in April 2022, news broke that there would be some adjustments in the cast and crew of the team and they decided to "build, refine, and evolve their vision for the show." As a result of which, Levinson was brought in as the director replacing Seimetz.
While it can be guessed from the trailer that the show is based on the relationship between the pop star and LA-based club owner and cult leader played by The Weeknd, the details for the change were not sure. However, in the March report of Rolling Stone, rumors surfaced that the “female perspective” of Depp's character was being changed to bring the main focus to The Weeknd, as one crew member said, "It was like The Weeknd wanted one show that was all about him — Sam was on board with that."
One of the interviewees of Rolling Stone said, “It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.” Someone else said about the philosophy followed by Levinson, “It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.”
Another crew member, who sympathized with the replaced Seimetz, said, "It’s really frustrating seeing Amy doing her damn best to turn around some kind of product that she can be somewhat proud of to HBO…and then [for HBO] to turn around and have Sam get essentially a blank check to turn it into ‘Euphoria Season 3 with pop stars’ is extremely, extremely frustrating.”
Another member was found quoting, "It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it.”
'The team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest'
HBO resonated with Depp’s sentiment as they also defended Levinson against the allegations by saying, "The creators and producers of 'The Idol' have been working hard to create one of HBO's most exciting and provocative original programs," and further added that, "The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change."
They also said, "Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing The Idol with audiences soon."
