‘Ridiculous’: The Idol controversy forces The Weeknd to respond days before Cannes visit

Not even out yet, The Idol – a creation of Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd with Sam Levinson (Euphoria) and Reza Fahim – is already causing a lot of ink. Reason ? article Rolling Stone which marks various conflicts within the production, creative recycling, and which calls the series “Torture porn“.

In response, Abel Tesfai posted an excerpt from the series Instagram Which rightly mocks Rolling Stone magazine. A post that went viral. As part of an article that made the front page Vanity Fair On his musical rise and decision to embark on new creative directions, Abel Tesfai explained why he decided to answer directly to the magazine. The star says she wanted to respond to the article “it is funny“one”Funny answer“.

The newspaper in question reports that there is a bit of chaos on the set, with frequent filming delays and production changes due to unfinished scripts. The series also underwent changes following the departure of director Amy Seimetz, who was replaced by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, resulting in a narrative that foregrounded the rape fantasy and which “He moved from satire to a satirical subject“.

“I found the article funny. I wanted to give him a funny answerTesfai spoke about his decision to respond to the article with a clip from the show that mocks the influence of Rolling Stone.In fact, I absolutely loved working with Amy, and I’m sure she’s reading this and thinking, “Why am I in this?”“

He later defended the series against these claims, with Vanity Fair reporting that “Logistical difficulties with Semit’s schedule“, production time and “Not wanting to rush his first series“They were behind the redesign.”The series is rewritten every day“, he adds.

As part of the article, Sam Levinson also responded to reports of creative changes in an emailed statement. “HBO gave the series great autonomy and significant financial resources“, he said, “And it didn’t work.“

A source close to the production says about it The Hollywood Reporter that HBO executives and Abel Tesfais had positive feedback about Amy Seimetz directing the series, and that while Sam Levinson took the reins of the series, he was rarely on set. “It’s wrong to say it didn’t work out.“

To resolve the filming issues, Sam Levinson reportedly “proposed to remake the series from scratch with a more modest budgetand filming at The Weeknd’s house. The Weeknd and his family—Ashley, his wife and executive producer of The Idol, their two young children, and their dog—moved into the house, while the Levinsons and The Weeknd rewrote the scripts.

At another point in the interview, Abel Tesfaye denies that it was he who decided to give more importance to his character during these rewrites, noting that “It’s easy for people to say, “Oh, she wanted to be a star.”According to her, it was Sam Levinson who wanted to expand the role of the singer and convinced her to co-star with Lily-Rose Depp. Meanwhile, Abel Tesfaye.insisted that the series remain in the perspective of Depp as the main character“, reports the magazine.

Ultimately, he attributes all the buzz surrounding the show to what the story is about. “It’s the trials and tribulations of life and that’s what the show is about,” he says.

As for Lily-Rose Depp, she says that she wants to leave the audience with the possibility of surprise and is interested in the negative enthusiasm caused by the series. “I think it’s interesting that people already have a lot to say about a show when they haven’t even seen it yet.“

Idol will be available starting June 5 on Prime Video with Warner Pass.