The Idol, a new HBO series that is being marketed as a darker, wilder, and more racy version of Levinson’s smash-hit Euphoria, has been the subject of intense buzz for months.
The star Lily-Rose Depp opened up about the show and its nuances but many find it too obscene and disturbing. Rolling stone labeled it ‘Torture Po*n’. In an attempt to outdo himself, there is a possibility that Levinson went all out. It looks like his attempt to re-create the Euphoria fame has resulted in delays and a decline in the quality of The Idol.
The Idol is delayed due to Sam Levinson’s obsession with besting himself
The show was set to premiere after House of the Dragon season one came to an end, however, the show is just constantly getting delayed. After three teasers we have no confirmed dates of when the show will air on HBO. According to current production sources who spoke to Rolling Stone, the production was beset by delays, reshoots, and rewrites, and even they don’t know when the program will broadcast or what the finished product will look like. One says, “It was, let’s just say, a shitshow,”
The first sign of problems was made public when She Dies Tomorrow and The Girlfriend Experience director Amy Seimetz abruptly left the six-episode series in April of last year, almost 80 percent of the way through production. HBO responded to the revelation by stating that The Idol will be changing its cast and staff and undergoing a significant creative revamp. One production member attempts to explain Levinson’s version,
“It was like any r*pe 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 producer has some strong and opposing views,
“What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century. The things that we subject our talent and stars to, the forces that put people in the spotlight, and how that can be manipulated in the post-Trump world. It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.”
Four sources claim that Levinson ultimately abandoned Seimetz’s approach to the story, turning it into a demeaning love story with a hollow message that some crew members find offensive rather than one about a troubled starlet falling victim to a predatory industry figure and fighting to reclaim her agency.
Lily-Rose Depp is supportive of Sam Levinson’s The Idol
The Idol has been a popular topic for months. The Weeknd, real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, will also appear in the upcoming HBO series, which Lily-Rose Depp has revealed additional information about. Depp portrays Jocelyn, a want-to-be pop sensation who has to deal with a lifestyle that involves s*x, drugs, and other difficulties in the music business. Depp is pleased with the work she did in the role.
“I’ve dreamt of roles like this forever. I just don’t think that you could give an actress a greater gift than a role like this. This has been the most meaningful and important project that I’ve ever done, and the thing that I’m the proudest of. I don’t know where to begin. Jocelyn is the most wonderfully complex character. She’s so fascinating. A mystery. After a year of living with that character, I’m still obsessed with her. I just want to keep digging deeper.”
She added,
“I thought about movie stars of the ’40s, like Lauren Bacall and Gene Tierney. They did not walk into a room and descend to anybody else’s level to try and make themselves feel comfortable. They almost had this confidence in the discomfort that they could provoke in people. A thing of, ‘This is who I am, and I’m not going to change.’”
The actress reveals that she had to visit some vulnerable places to bring out an appropriate performance. Hopefully, the show helmed by Sam Levinson will turn out better than Euphoria, it is only possible if the obscenity and nudity are backed by a good story, deep character arcs, and meaningful dialogues.
The Idol will stream air weekly on HBO.
Source: RollingStone
