Angelina Jolie has recently been grabbing media attention for reasons other than her acting career. For more than a year, there have been rumors circulating about the alleged relationship between the Maleficent star and the Canadian musician, The Weeknd.
Fans are obsessed with relationship rumors, despite the fact that neither celeb has publicly addressed them. On the other hand, her alleged boyfriend’s critically panned television show, The Idol, is also making headlines nearly every day.
The Idol, which also stars Lily-Rose Depp, is directed and produced by Sam Levinson, Reza Fahim, and The Weeknd.
It centers on a contentious relationship between the series’ characters. The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye plays the show’s sleazy club owner (Tedros), and Lily-Rose portrays a budding pop star, named Jocelyn.
How The Weeknd Got Inspired To Torture His The Idol Co-Star
Audiences at Cannes were given a sneak preview of the first two episodes of The Idol in May 2023, though we had to wait until its premiere on June 4 to watch it. Abel Tesfaye (also known as The Weeknd), Reza Fahim, and Sam Levinson are the co-creators of this critically panned HBO program.
The story centers on Jocelyn, a budding pop star who is portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp. Her character falls in love with Tedros (played by The Weeknd); however, as her career suffers as a result of a nervous breakdown, so does her relationship with Tedros.
After the show’s Cannes premiere, which was met with a five-minute standing ovation and a tearful speech from Levinson, the director was questioned about the sources of The Idol’s inspiration. He said:
“We’re not trying to tell a story about any particular pop star.”
Additionally, he stated that fame is:
“A lot of pressure — to have to be constantly on, and to be what everyone wishes you to be. It’s a lonely life.”
Meanwhile, The Weeknd reiterated in an interview with the New York Times after the premiere that the show is:
“Not about Britney at all.”
But he further clarified:
“How could we not pull inspiration from Britney, from Madonna, from every pop star that’s gone through any kind of serious pain?”
Despite the obvious similarities, The Weeknd stated at Cannes that a famous vampire rather than a famous singer served as his biggest inspiration for the show.
“The first thing I can think of is Dracula.”
The Idol’s Negative Reaction
Long before its premiere, The Idol was dogged by unfavorable press. The script, direction, and s*xual content of the series were criticized by critics in attendance at the Cannes Film Festival premiere.
The series has a 19% approval rating on the review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, with an average audience score of 41%. Also, it was called “Twisted Torture Porn” by Rolling Stone in March. The publication even claimed that hostile working conditions were created on the set due to off-screen problems such as excessive reshoots, last-minute rewrites, and the departure of the original director, Amy Seimetz.
Following the article, HBO issued the following statement:
“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 was called “one of the worst programs ever made” and “the worst TV show of the year” by The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, respectively.
Meanwhile, the show’s lead, Lily-Rose Depp was applauded after the show’s two-episode premiere, despite The Idol’s 19% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Idol is streaming on Max.
Source- The Cut
