Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is not shocked by The Idol’s backlash.
Since its premiere earlier this month, the controversial HBO series — which stars musician and actor as a scummy nightclub owner who romances a troubled popstar (played by Lily-Rose Depp) — has been critically panned for its flat characters and lambasted for its graphic portrayals of violence and sex. But in a new interview with Variety, Tesfaye said The Idol’s team took an experimental approach to the story.
Asked if he’s feeling “discouraged” by the show’s negative responses, Tesfaye — who executive produces and co-created the show with Reza Fahim and ‘s Sam Levinson — simply said, “No, no, that [was] very much expected.”
“We’re playing with genres with this show, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to do,” the 33-year-old said. “And none of this is a surprise.”
Tesfaye, who is currently completing the European leg of his After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour, believes the The Idol gives viewers a window into life as a famous person.
“It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous,” he said. “You’re surrounded by people who you’re not sure what their true intentions are, even if it seems like they’re good. You just never know.”
“Nothing is worse than a yes-man, especially when you have a bunch of yes-men around you,” he continued. “And when you see a character like Nikki [Katz, Jocelyn’s record-label executive], who’s not a yes-man, she might seem like a bad person, but then you kind of like her for being honest. So it’s a very complicated situation for Jocelyn.”
When prompted about a potential shift in the show’s pace, which the interviewer called “very slow” so far, Tesfaye cited creative inspiration and played coy. “Brian De Palma [ Scarface, Mission: Impossible, The Untouchables] is a huge inspiration for all this, and of course [Paul] Verhoeven [ Basic Instinct, Total Recall, RoboCop],” he said. “I’m excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show.”
In March, Rolling Stone published an exposé about the series, featuring allegations of how the production went “wildly, disgustingly off the rails” due to a toxic set environment and creative clashes. But Depp, The Weeknd and HBO spoke out against the March report.
“For something that does, of course, explore darker themes and has some pretty heavy emotional moments to it and everything, the vibe on set was quite lighthearted,” Depp told Entertainment Weekly earlier this month. “We’re all really good friends and we all are similar people and really understand each other.”
“We were having a lot of laughs, listening to a lot of music, dancing around, and that kind of energy is what made the heavier moments easier and possible,” she added.
The Idol airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9 p.m. ET. It streams on Max at the same time.
