the idol It stars Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp, and the singer The Weeknd. It had its first exhibition at Cannes 2023.
Every year a series or movie is released with the ability to shock critics and audience, either because of its violent or sexual content. It seems that this year that honor corresponds to the series the idolstarring lily rose deppactor’s daughter Johnny Depp and the model Vanessa Paradis.
According to the official synopsis of the idolLily-Rose Depp stars as a rising pop star who begins a disturbing relationship with Tedros (The Weeknd), an enigmatic Los Angeles nightclub owner who is also the leader of a modern day cult. The story is an attempt to delve into the Hollywood underworld and the way he squeezes his stars.
Scandal prior to his arrival in Cannes
The series had its premiere (actually, only the first two chapters of a total of five were projected) in the current Cannes Film Festival, France, where he raised the eyebrows of more than one for its intense erotic content. But since a year ago there was talk about this production. After some changes in management, the project fell into the hands of sam levinsoncreator of the also controversial Euphoria.
In March of this year, a report in the magazine rolling stones collected the testimony of some members of the team of the series, who asked to remain anonymous. This group of people said that with Levinson’s entry, the series “has increased sexual content and nudity, far exceeding what was seen on Euphoria“.
Lily-Rose Depp came out in defense of the project and declared to the same magazine that Levinson is “the best director” with whom she has worked, and that she has never felt more supported in a creative space: “my contributions and opinions have been very valued”.
There was also talk that there were tensions between several of the actors during filming, which caused the specialized press to dedicate many lines to this rumor.
Reactions of those involved
Prior to the premiere of the first episodes of the idol In Cannes, there was a press conference where Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd could be seen in the company of Sam Levinson.
“We know that we are making a provocative series. It’s not lost on us, but it’s weird,” Levinson said, referring to rumors about the filming. “Because when my wife read the article to me, I said, ‘I think we’re about to have the biggest show of the summer.'”
“Pornification” in American Pop Culture
Reflecting on the show’s explicit sex scenes, Levinson noted that “we live in a very sexualized world” and said the show was a reflection of the “pornification” of American pop culture.
“Especially in the United States, the influence of pornography is very strong on the psyche of young people. And we see it in pop music and how it kind of reflects the ins and outs of the internet,” Levinson says.
“I think on this show and working with Lily, we’ve had a lot of discussion about who she is as a person, who Jocelyn is as a person. [y] from there, sexuality comes out of that character….. I think it is very faithful to what almost all pop stars do nowadays”.
Speaking about the process of filming these explicit scenes, Depp said that “I’ve never felt so involved in those kinds of conversations, and I felt like I’ve been given the privilege to create this character, from the inside out and from the outside in.” .
What did the review say?
“It is the show and not the sex that sells the idolsaid Richard Lawson in his review in Vanity Fair. He cautioned that Levinson’s offering is not for everyone, but “offers enough entertainment to balance his aggressive flourish and the swagger of his thematic ambitions.”
Damon Wise featured in Deadline that Lily-Rose Deep’s work “is riveting, with a performance that is, to put it mildly, highly sexualized, but also down-to-earth and often vulnerable, disconcertingly grappling with the fine lines between porn and art, the power and exploitation that young women have faced in the music industry for years.”
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