It’s considered the most scandalous series of the year: “The Idol” starring Lily-Rose Depp and singer “The Weeknd”. In the USA in particular, the series by “Euphoria” maker Sam Levinson has been criticized for its provocative performance.
The sex scenes would be like violent porn and were the result of a “rape fantasy by a toxic man,” commented Rolling Stone. Depp, in particular, has been criticized for the amount of nudity in the HBO series, but is undeterred by the negative comments. In a conversation with “The Sun” she revealed what she really thinks about the numerous sex scenes – and why they even helped her in her personal development.
“The Idol” is about parties, drugs and sex. Lily-Rose Depp stars as the desperate, impressionable musician Jocelyn, who naively falls for nightclub owner Tedros in hopes that he will guide her on her way back to the top of the US charts. In return, the young woman has to be touchy, intimate and sexy, bow to his intrigues, sex games and power struggles and, in her naivety, doesn’t even notice how Tedros is manipulating her.
Depp sees the naivety of her role less. For her, Joceyln is a “performer through and through,” as she explains to The Sun – “even when she’s alone and just looking at herself in the mirror.” She says: “Every outfit, every interaction and also every bit of nudity was wanted and important for the role”, referring to the numerous sex scenes that show her extremely intimate together with Tesfaye. But the scenes were not only of great importance for the role, but also for herself.
“Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but it felt very cathartic and I now feel free of anything that I might have had to let go of,” the actress said. Working on the set was “therapeutic” for her, she never once felt sexified or objectified. On the contrary: you enjoyed the sex scenes much more and don’t understand what’s wrong with it. It was important for her to fully empathize with Jocelyn’s character from the start in order to do her portrayal justice, she says. It was interesting and emotional to delve into her personality as Jocelyn is someone who has lived a very different life from Depp himself, the 24-year-old continued.
As a “pop and former child star”, Depp was never confronted with the problems that Jocelyn has to go through. Still, the situation Joceyln has to go through is universal. “This feeling of not knowing whether you can trust the people around you. The desire to be taken seriously as an artist and not knowing whether you are going in the right or wrong direction,” explains Depp. Having doubts and feeling insecure are feelings that everyone can relate to – “not just people in the entertainment industry,” she explains.
The 24-year-old had a role model for her appearance, in which Depp can sometimes be seen doing extreme dirty talk, masturbating and violent sex scenes. As she explains, she was taken with Sharon Stone, who became a sex symbol in 1992 with her erotic thriller “Basic Instinct”: “I love ‘Basic Instinct’ and I love Sharon Stone so much, she was a big one for me influence for this character,” enthuses the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis.
Lily-Rose Depp reveals what the famous parents think of the numerous nude scenes: “I don’t think any parent wants their child to be cold, so I’m sure they would cover me with a blanket.”
“The Idol” has been available to stream on Sky and WOW since June 4th.
Quelle: “The Sun”, “Rolling Stone”
