The Weeknd has responded to backlash over his ‘The Idol’ sex scenes.
The six-part series centres on Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp, an aspiring pop idol.
After having a nervous breakdown which forces her to cancel her tour, she attempts to reclaim her status as the sexiest pop star in America.
Jocelyn begins a complicated relationship with a self-help guru/head of a contemporary cult, named Tedros, played by Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye.
The Weeknd created the concept for the series alongside Euphoria director Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim.
Viewers have slammed the series for being “too graphic” and “too sexual”, and The Weeknd has since responded to the criticism.
Speaking about the controversial scene where his and Lily-Rose’s characters get intimate, the Blinding Lights singer told GQ: “There’s nothing sexy about it.”
“When we use Basic Instinct as a reference, we’re using Verhoeven. Verhoeven is the king of ’90s satire thriller — yes, there’s moments of ‘sexy’ in his films but there are other moments that are very cheesy and hilarious.”
“However you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: This guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”
Lights, camera, and a whole lot of action. It’s time for #TheIdol pic.twitter.com/c4JbUpFSUf
— NOW (@NOW) June 5, 2023
The 33-year-old described his character as a “douchebag” and “pathetic”.
He went on to say: “You look at him, and this is a score—Jocelyn might be the biggest score he’s ever had. It’s very obvious. He’s over-indulging, he walks into this house looking around like, ‘Goddamn, am I way over my head? This can be the biggest job I’ve ever done.'”
“Whatever it is that he’s doing. Even the sex, it’s so gluttonous. Especially in episode 2. ‘Gluttony’ is the only word I can think of [to describe it]. He can’t believe he’s there. He comes off like such a loser. Those moments are the humanity that you find in a psychopath, the chink in his armor.”
You can stream The Idol on NOW TV.Â
Check out the second episode of our brand new podcast Goss Island, where host Alan Cawley is joined by comedian Enya Martin.
The pair share their thoughts of this year’s cast following the first week, and discuss all the drama that went down.
Alan and Enya also share who their favourite, and least favourite, Islanders are so far – and reveal who they think will make it to the final…
Now live across all streaming platforms, including Spotify and iTunes, you can also watch the entire episode from start to finish on our YouTube channel.
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