Lily-Rose Depp Would Avoid The Weeknd On The Idol When He Got In The Method 'Zone'
"The Idol" has a fair few problems, but its two leads aren't one. Lily-Rose Depp stars as beleaguered pop singer Jocelyn, alongside Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) who plays rat tail-sporting club owner and "rapey" — to use Leia's (Rachel Sennott) term — cult leader Tedros. Depp's restrained performance projects a deflated energy that stems from her character having her every move controlled by handlers, publicists, and agents, while still managing to convey an intensity that gives Jocelyn a certain edge. And for his part Tesfaye, who also co-created the show along with Sam Levinson and former nightclub owner Reza Fahim, provides all the sliminess you'd expect from a nightclub-dwelling cult figurehead.
All of which is nice to see after the show's troubled production. The two stars previously denied claims against Sam Levinson after Rolling Stone published a damning and comprehensive takedown of the show. The piece alleged that Levinson stepped in to take the reins from former director Amy Seimetz and promptly ramped up the sexuality in "The Idol," contributing to an already chaotic production. By the time Levinson took over, 80 percent of the show had reportedly been completed, which was then scrapped and reshot. At the time, however, Depp issued a statement in support of the director, saying, "Sam is, for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with. Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input, and opinions more valued."
Still, there were some things the actor had to navigate carefully, including when her co-star went full Tedros mode.
'He's in his zone right now'
After all the behind-the-scenes turmoil, "The Idol" has finally arrived, hoping to fill the gap left by the end of "Succession" and "Barry." This means we can decide for ourselves whether the show amounts to what one source told Rolling Stone was "sexual torture porn." In the meantime, Lily-Rose Depp has remained pretty positive about the whole thing. In a behind-the-scenes clip from the inaugural episode, she praised her co-star, saying "I love Abel so much. He was able to melt into this role in a way that is really difficult for anybody to do."
But if there was one element of the production Depp found slightly difficult, it was when Mr. Weeknd would get a little carried away with the aforementioned melting. As she told Entertainment Weekly:
"Sometimes when Abel would get — I don't want to reveal too much about where Abel's character goes, but when he would be in full Tedros mode sometimes, I would steer clear of him. I'd be like, 'He's in his zone right now.'"
Which, on its face, seems to indicate Abel Tesfaye went a tad Jared Leto on "Morbius" and "Suicide Squad" at times. However, Depp did state that she didn't, "think anybody went full method — nobody lost their minds," suggesting Tesfaye was merely emitting some of his character's intensity between certain scenes, rather than remaining in character throughout production. A good thing, too, considering the last thing this show needed was more behind-the-scenes drama.