‘The Idol’ First Reactions: A ‘Pornhub Homepage Odyssey’, ‘Get Ready for a Great Speech’
Few new TV shows in recent memory have spawned more mystique than “The Idol.” The music industry drama from Sam Levinson and The Weeknd (who works under his real name Abel Tesfaye) has garnered a lot of attention for its expensive reshoots and reported creative clashes, but its creators have always stuck to their vision. and they insisted it was worth it. .
The series stars Lily Rose-Depp as the world’s biggest pop star whose relationship with a sleazy guru (Tesfaye) leads her down a dark cult path. In a recent interview, Levinson and Tesfaye explained that the show was inspired by the dark side of stardom that Tesfaye had experienced when he rose to prominence as The Weeknd.
“Abel came to us with an introduction,” Levinson said. “He said something I will always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could.’ What he meant was that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere. That was the germ of the idea for ‘The Idol’: what happens when a pop star falls for the wrong man and no one talks.
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Tesfaye went on to say that he sees the show as an opportunity to put his pop star persona to rest and start making more art under his real identity.
“I’m going through a cathartic journey right now,” she said. “It’s coming to a place and time where I’m getting ready to close the chapter of The Weeknd. I’ll still be making music, maybe like Abel, maybe like The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. In the end. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.
The mysterious show has been surrounded by many question marks, but Cannes-goers had some answers when the first two episodes of ‘The Idol’ screened out of competition at the festival on Monday night. While some of the sexual content was shocking (even by HBO standards), the premiere received an extremely enthusiastic response from the crowd in the room. But the online reactions that have begun to flow have painted a much more divisive picture.
“The Idol” premieres Sunday, June 4 on HBO. Read on for a rundown of some of the (many) strong opinions attendees shared across the web.