Lily-Rose Depp, ‘The Idol’ Co-Creator Respond To Critics Labelling New HBO Series ‘Luxury Sleaze’ After Cannes Premiere


“The Idol” made its debut at Cannes, with the heavily hyped HBO series earning a five-minute standing ovation while also stirring up controversy for its edgy, plentiful sex sequences — which led The Wrap to describe the show as “luxury sleaze.”


The show’s sex scenes were at the forefront during the Cannes press conference for “The Idol”, which is co-created by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”) and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, who also stars as a charismatic cult leader who seduces an aspiring pop star, Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp.


‘The Idol’.
‘The Idol’.
— Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO

As People reported, Depp had plenty to say about the matter during the press conference.




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“I think that something about Jocelyn is just that she’s a born and bred performer,” Depp said.


“I think that extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life,” she continued. “I think that the way that she dresses, for example, is her trying to tell you something all the time or say something to the people that she’s around or express herself in some kind of way.”


‘The Idol’.
‘The Idol’.
— Photograph by Eddy Chen/HBO

According to Levinson, Joceyln is emblematic of the impact of pornography on young people.




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“It’s funny, I think that sometimes things that might be revolutionary are taken too far. I think we live in a very sexualized world,” Levinson explained.


“We see this in pop music and how it reflects the underbelly of the internet in some ways,” he added. “I think that with this show and working with Lily, we had a lot of discussions about who she is as a person, who Jocelyn is as a person, and what she’s feeling, what she’s angling, who she’s playing to.”