For the past few months, HBO has relentlessly promoted “The Idol,” a limited series from “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson and R&B giant The Weeknd. But over the past year, the show has been grappling with some very public production issues, and it turns out those early reports may have only scratched the surface of on-set tensions.
A new Rolling Stone report released Wednesday goes behind the scenes of the music industry drama, with 13 anonymous production sources describing a chaotic and tense set, where filming was delayed and scripts finished late.
Creators: Reza Fahim, Sam Levinson, The Weeknd
Stars: Lily-Rose Depp, The Weeknd, Suzanna Son
“The creators and producers of ‘The Idol’ have been hard at work to create one of the most exciting and provocative original shows on HBO. Unfortunately, the initial focus of the show and the production of the first few episodes did not meet HBO's standards, so we decided to make a change," HBO told IndieWire in a statement. “Throughout the process, the creative team was committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful work environment, and last year, the team made creative changes that they felt were in the best interest of the production, cast, and crew. equipment.
The report also outlines how many of those who worked on the show take issue with the rewrites that occurred after Levinson replaced Amy Seimetz ("The Girlfriend Experience," "She Dies Tomorrow") as series director, following her departure. departure from the show in April 2022. Reportedly the original version of the series, starring Lily-Rose Depp as an aspiring pop star who develops an intense sexual relationship with a self-help guru (played by The Weeknd). , focused heavily on the "female perspective," which both The Weeknd and Levinson took issue with.
An HBO insider disputed many details of Rolling Stone's report to IndieWire. The source claimed that Seimetz was fired from the production due to creative issues and Levinson took over as director to save the original vision for the show.
Several scripts written by Levinson after Seimetz's departure reportedly featured explicit and disturbing content that members of the show's crew said they found alarming. A scrapped scene depicted in the story, where The Weeknd's character inserts an egg into Depp's vagina and refuses to "rape" her if she drops or breaks the egg, was reportedly cut because the filmmakers couldn't logistically make that scene happen while preserving the egg. According to the report, the scene shows Depp's character begging The Weeknd to "rape" her. "I was like, 'What is this? What am I reading here?'” a source said. "It was like sexual torture porn."
“It was like any rape fantasy any toxic man would have on the show, and then the woman comes back for more because she makes her music better,” an anonymous source told Rolling Stone on the show.
In a statement from Depp provided to IndieWire, the actor called Levinson the “best director I've ever worked with”: “I've never felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions are more valued. Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way: he cares, more than anything, not just what his actors think about the job, but how we feel about playing it. He hires people whose work he values and has always created an environment where I feel seen, heard and appreciated.”
A general criticism from sources was that the series was allegedly constantly reshot and rewritten in real time, and Levinson allegedly wanted to augment the violent and sexual content that was more toned down in the original production under Seimetz's direction. A source reportedly said that Seimetz's original version was about "a woman who found herself sexually," while the rewrite turned it "into a show about a man who abuses this woman and she loves it."
Sources also told Rolling Stone that the series cost $54-75 million even before the original production was scrapped and Levinson and The Weeknd continued to redesign the series. An inside source at HBO questioned Rolling Stone's financials to IndieWire, claiming that the figures are too inflated and do not reflect the production's actual budget.
“It was, shall we say, a shit show,” a source said of the production. Meanwhile, Levinson will reportedly begin production on “Euphoria” season 3 later this year. The production problems described in the Rolling Stone story are similar to reports of tensions on the set of last year's "Euphoria" season two, which claimed multiple SAG union grievances were filed.