Lily-Rose Depp Defends 'The Idol' Sex Scenes

To say that The Idol was a complete flop is putting it nicely. Directed by Sam Levinson (the creative behind Euphoria), The Idol had a lot of potential and was originally met with utmost excitement due to its original pitched premise of addressing the exploitation of women pop stars in Hollywood.

Since releasing on Max, formerly known as HBO Max, there have been numerous complaints about the show — Abel Tesfaye's (The Weeknd) bad acting, a cringe and arguably extremely uncomfortable storyline, the lack of a bigger message being conveyed. But it's unquestionably the highly explicit sex scenes that have caught the most resistance, being compared to "a toxic man's fantasy" and "torture porn" across the Internet.

Yet, in a recent interview with Vogue Australia, Lily-Rose Depp stands firmly behind the explicit scenes, calling them "really intentional" and something she "was excited about doing." 

She adds, "For me, the whole character and the show and her arc was really a collaboration through and through. We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that...I’ve never felt more respected and more safe on a set, honestly. And I think the trust that we all built with each other, you and I, and Sam and I, and Abel and I, that can only make for a really safe-feeling set."

Further in the conversation, when asked how it felt to bid adieu to her character Jocelyn, Depp says she "will never say goodbye to Jocelyn."

"I’ll never forget [this experience] and it will live in my heart forever," she continued. "I love this character so much, I feel like she has really changed me and also taught me so, so, so much."

The criticism of the show began before it was first released on streaming services after Rolling Stone published an exposé platforming the firsthand experiences workers on set witnessed behind the scenes.

Production was filled with delays, rewrites, and reshoots, especially after director Amy Seimetz (who was originally supposed to work alongside Levinson) left the show due to creative differences. Sources said Tesfaye felt like the show was "heading too much in the female perspective," later resulting in Levinson and Tesfaye nearly rewriting the whole show and scrapping the original vision. 

Once released, the series has tanked in viewership, not even reaching one million watchers for the premiere. The poor numbers have factored into the show ending early, dropping its sixth finale episode.

Despite the backlash, Depp and Tesfaye have vocally supported The Idol and working with Levinson.