The Idol could be one of the most talked about and divisive shows yet – and it hasn’t even started. The highly anticipated upcoming HBO show, starring Lily-Rose Depp and created by The Weeknd alongside Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, has been hit with a number of shocking allegations since production, including that it is ‘torture porn’.
The first two episodes were screened at Cannes Film Festival last night (22 May), with The Idol being the first TV show to officially debut at the festival.
While The Idol received a standing ovation, reviews and reactions have been mixed to say the least. Many were left underwhelmed after much discussion and hype, debating whether the sexually explicit scenes hit the mark, while others were unimpressed with the show’s focus on young women’s bodies.
A Variety journalist tweeted: ‘Lots of strong reactions to #TheIdol out of #Cannes2023 — ranging from “I hated it” to “the TV version of clickbait” to “I don’t need to see any more of Lily-Rose Depp naked.” Call us intrigued.’
A detailed report from Rolling Stone was released last month claiming it was draining and chaotic on set, with 'divisions among Levinson’s inner circle' and troubling stories from several crew members.
With Levinson now at the helm of the ship as director, he has also allegedly written disturbing, abusive scenes between Depp’s and The Weeknd’s characters.
After a lot of alleged reports and social media gossip - here is everything you need to know about the drama surrounding HBO's The Idol, including what the first reviews are saying.
What is The Idol about?
Idol has been teased by HBO Max as a darker and even more risqué Euphoria. The show focuses on the lurid side of the entertainment industry, with Lily-Rose Depp playing a young pop star Jocelyn and The Weeknd as a seedy cult leader Tedros who she falls for. They quickly find themselves in the 'sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.'
The Idol, which was originally pitched as a gritty drama satirizing Hollywood exploitation and cultism, has reportedly gone on to embody the exact kind of culture it initially pit itself against under the care of the Euphoria creator.
What are the reviews from Cannes saying about The Idol?
The first reviews of The Idol have been pretty divided, with Rolling Stone referring to it as ‘torture porn’.
Vanity Fair, meanwhile, has downplayed the impact of the promised nudity and sex shock factor, though, with its review headline reading ‘Showbiz, not sex, sells The Idol’.
The Hollywood Reporter also criticised the TV show for not delivering on breaking new ground, like Euphoria did, remarking: ‘It makes you wonder if in trying so hard to be transgressive, the show ultimately becomes regressive.’
An over focus on Lily Rose-Depp’s body has also been pointed out by reviewers, with The Hollywood Reporter commenting: ‘Rarely does a scene go by without the camera showing flashes of her breasts or ass.
‘You start to wonder if this is building to anything, and by episode two it seems likely that it’s probably not.’
Deadline, however, called Rose-Depp’s performance ‘riveting’.
Is there a trailer for The Idol?
Yes! HBO have released the official full-length trailer set to the pumping beat of Britney Spears' Gimmie More and the internet is already talking. Most people are fan-girling over the shots of Blackpink's Jennie Kim. The K-pop singer and rapper is making her acting debut playing Angel in the series.
What has Sam Levinson been accused of?
Interviews from 13 cast and crew members with Rolling Stone paint a story of financial carelessness, chaos on set, and creepy male behaviour plaguing the production.
Originally Amy Seimetz was the director of the show. However, many of the interviewees thought she was set up to fail due to half-finished scripts, a tight filming schedule, and Euphoria-level expectations. Still, Amy carried on filming 80% of the first season. However, in April of 2022, it was announced that Seimetz would leave the project, and Levinson would take over, starting from scratch. Which of course, would cost millions of dollars to reshoot.
Once Levinson assumed complete control over the project, cast and crew members say the shooting schedule and script process never got any smoother. Last minute script revisions and reshoots made room for Levinson to 'dramatically [ramp] up the explicit content.'
Some of the script iterations from Levinson allegedly contained 'disturbing sexual and physically violent' scenes, including one alleged scene, where Depp’s character begs to be raped by Tedros after she’s tasked with holding an egg in her genitals. In another alleged scene, her character is beaten by the cult leader, who is aroused by the abuse. While interviewees say these scenes never went to film, they also are unsure of what will end up in the final cut due to the constant revisions. '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,' a source told Rolling Stone about how the show changed once Levinson replaced Seimetz.
An interviewee concluded, '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.'
In a statement to Rolling Stone about their damning report, HBO said, '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.’
Sam Levinson and Euphoria
The reported chaos whilst making The Idol is reminiscent to many of a Daily Beast feature that was released last year about the dysfunctional set of Euphoria’s second season. In that detailed piece, there are reports of workdays lasting up to 17 hours. Levinson’s work on Euphoria has been the subject of much scrutiny, from fan critiques about the amount of nudity and graphic drug use depicted in the series to rumour's about on-set feuding with star Barbie Ferreira. Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney also opened up about feeling uncomfortable with the nudity on the show. In a January 2022 interview with The Independent, Sweeney was the first to open up about her reluctance to film the show’s nude scenes.
Throughout Euphoria’s first season, Sweeney’s character Cassie is shown topless several times. Levinson had apparently wanted to continue this into season two, however, it was changed at Sweeney’s request. Sweeney's co-star Chloe Cherry later came to her defence. Shortly after Sweeney’s interview, Cherry told The Daily Beastabout her first day on the set of Euphoria for the role of heroin addict Faye.
She said that for the first scene, when Faye’s boyfriend Custer (Tyler Chase) stuffs her into a motel vent, she was supposed to be completely naked. 'It probably would’ve been more comfortable had we had a little more time to know each other,' she said. 'Sam wanted to do the scene with me completely naked, and Tyler was like, "That’s a lot," so they decided not to.'
As opposed to Sweeney, who spoke up for herself, it was Cherry’s co-stars who helped voice her discomfort. This raised concerns about actors who don’t feel like they have the power to speak up about their discomfort on Levinson's set. However, Levinson remains an extremely in-demand figure in Hollywood due to the success of Euphoria and his ability to reel in top talent.
'This was such a strong example of just how far [Levinson] can really push HBO and they will continue to cover [him] because he brings in money,' a production source told the magazine. Adding, 'He’s able to walk away unscathed and everybody still wants to work with him… People ignore the red flags and follow him regardless.’
The Weeknd's response to Rolling Stone's Idol Accusations
It's clear Levinson's leading stars are standing firmly behind him in the face of controversy. The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp have both jumped to his defence on social media and through statements. The Weeknd has refuted Rolling Stone's reports by posting a video from the series to social media. The Grammy-winning singer posted the clip to Instagram, tagged Rolling Stone and wrote, 'Did we upset you?’
In the scene, a character played by Dan Levy pitches The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp’s pop star character Jocelyn to do a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone. The Weeknd, who plays a modern-day cult leader named Tedros, says, 'Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little irrelevant? … Rolling Stone has 6 million followers on Instagram, half of them probably bots. And Jocelyn has 78 million followers, all real I’d assume. So, she does a photo shoot, she tags them, they get her followers. More money for Rolling Stone, nothing for Jocelyn.'
There’s a lot for Jocelyn,' Levy’s character states, to which The Weeknd's character responds, 'Not in Rolling Stone.' Rolling Stone's editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman even jumped into the drama on Twitter replying 'Not at all!' when asked 'Did we upset you?' by The Weeknd.
Lily-Rose Depp's response to Rolling Stones Idol Accusations
Defending Levinson, Depp told Variety in a statement, 'Sam is, for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with. 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. He hires people whose work he esteems and has always created an environment in which I felt seen, heard, and appreciated.'
There’s a lot for Jocelyn,' Levy’s character states, to which The Weeknd's character responds, 'Not in Rolling Stone.' Rolling Stone's editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman even jumped into the drama on Twitter replying 'Not at all!' when asked 'Did we upset you?' by The Weeknd.
When is The Idol being released?
During the new HBO trailer the air date flashes across the screen: 4 June 2023.