This detail has turned The Idol into what he wanted to mock

Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny Depp’s daughter) and The Weekend star in a series about the dark side of the entertainment industry. That can only go well, right? Well, it’s gone exactly in the direction of the intended prosecution. The idol it was intended correctly.

The idol is about fictional pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who falls for dubious club owner, self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd) after a nervous breakdown. She’s trying to claim her name as America’s Sexiest Pop Star. The success of HBO Max was supposed to be a satirical protest against the current entertainment industry. There was a standing ovation during the Cannes Film Festival, but that doesn’t always say everything about the actual reception by critics and audiences.

The female perspective gives way to a lot of nudity

We’ll get back to criticism and public opinion in a moment. First, that detail that gives the series with Lily-Rose Depp and The Weekend a counterproductive character. A rather striking detail, by the way: more scenes of nudes and sexual abuse. Initially, Amy Seimetz was hired to direct, but after most of the series was filmed, she left the project. She told the story from a female perspective, and according to several insiders, that was a reason for being fired for The Weeknd, among others, she writes. NU.nl.

After the departure of Amy Seimetz, Sam Levinson was already involved as a writer in The idoldesignated director. He also directed the strong HBO Max series. Euphoria, being praised for its functional nudity by actress Sydney Sweeney. The director also added many nude scenes. The idol, which was completely revised after the departure of Amy Seimetz. But according to crew members, these were anything but functional.

‘Sexual Torture Porn’

Several crew members said Rolling Stone that Sam Levinson violated the character of Lily-Rose Depp and the character in general of the series. “I signed up to participate in a dark satire on fame in the times we live in, but The idol it became exactly what we wanted to tease,” a crew member said in an interview with Rolling Stone. “I thought, what is this? What am I reading here? It suddenly felt like sexual torture porn.”

According to the team, Sam Levinson completely tampered with the plot and added many nudity scenes. Additionally, a prominent scene was added to the script where The Weeknd’s character sexually assaults Lily-Rose Depp’s character. Part of these scenes have been deleted, but the team of The idol is clear. “The story of a singer who is a victim of the industry has become an insulting and humiliating love story.” The lack of structure and leadership is also cited as the cause of the dismal result.

HBO Max hit The Idol and the criticism

However, it is The idol according to data from Flix Patrol entered the list of the most watched HBO Max series in all countries where the series is broadcast. Which doesn’t automatically mean movie critics go with it.

operation rotten tomatoes Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd have to make do with a sadly low score of 26%. The audience on this movie review platform is slightly more comfortable with sexual violence, with a score of 63%. The rating on IMDb is also nothing to write home about with a 5 out of 10. But judge for yourself. The idol is streaming now on HBO Max.