Lily-Rose Depp has said she would sometimes “steer clear” of co-star Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye on the set of The Idol.
Together, the two lead Sam Levinson’s new five-episode HBO drama about a troubled young popstar (Depp) who becomes entangled in a complicated relationship with a sleazy modern-day cult leader (Tesfaye).
Ahead of its Sunday (4 June) debut on Max in the US, Depp spoke with Entertainment Weekly about how she and the “Blinding Lights” singer prepared for their roles.
“I don’t think anybody went full method – nobody lost their minds,” the 24-year-old actor and model said.
“Well, sometimes when Abel would get – I don’t want to reveal too much about where Abel’s character goes, but when he would be in full Tedros mode sometimes, I would steer clear of him,” she admitted.
“I’d be like, ‘He’s in his zone right now.’”
In a separate interview last month, Levinson revealed that the premise of the show was sparked by a sinister remark made by Tesfaye.
“Abel came to us with a pitch,” the director recalled. “He said something that I’ll always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could.’ What he meant is that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere.”
He added: “That was the germ of the idea for The Idol: what happens when a pop star falls for the wrong guy and no one speaks up.”
Levinson’s projects are famously known to push boundaries with their inclusion of sensitive and mature content. His hit series Euphoria, starring Zendaya, has faced criticism for its excessive nudity and gritty portrayal of teen drug use.
At the time of writing, The Idol sits at just 25 per cent on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Although this is an improvement from its previous rating of 10 per cent following its recent world premiere at Cannes Film Festival.
After the screening, several critics called the show “shameful” and compared it to pornography.
In March, Rolling Stone published a daming report in which sources close to the production claimed that the show had gone “disgustingly off the rails”, citing a number of troubling claims about proposed storylines.
In a statement sent to The Independent, HBO wrote: “The creators and producers of The Idol have been working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original programmes. 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.”
The Idol premieres on Sunday (4 June) on Max in the US and on Sky Atlantic in the UK the following day.
