The Weeknd aims creating ‘dark twisted fairytale’ with The Idol

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, planned to start his contentious television series, The Idol, which saw its first two episodes premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, May 22, 2023, he was aiming to stir up some controversy.

The performance stunned its audiences with its bold topics and sexually explicit sequences, and it garnered a five-minute standing ovation during its presentation at the prestigious French film festival.

The Save Your Tears singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, discussed the play and what motivated its gloomy themes during the press conference, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"I initially wanted to make a dark twisted fairy tale about the music industry and heighten it," said Tesfaye of the series he co-created with Euphoria creator Levinson and Reza Fahim.

He was accompanied by Depp, Levinson and many of the series’ co-stars, including Hank Azaria and Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Jane Adams.

"[Sam and I] wanted to really see if we could create our own pop star, using my experiences, using his experiences, using Lily’s experiences from her point of view, to create something special, daring, exciting, fun, to make some people laugh and to piss some people off."

Tesfaye said he’d never met anyone like Tedros in the music industry "I don’t f---ing think so…thank God," comparing his character more to a movie monster. "He’s Dracula," he said.

Creator Levinson said, "It’s about how the world perceives a pop star and the pressure it puts on that individual. It’s a lot of pressure to constantly be on and to have to be what everyone wishes you to be."

"And I also think it’s a lonely life. We can all pretend that everyone is looking out for someone’s best interests, but I think fame really corrupts. I think it is very easy to surround yourself with myth makers, and I think there is something very scary about that."

Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp, depicts the character of Jocelyn, a Britney Spear influenced rags-to-riches pop star who is in crisis following the death of her mother, in the upcoming drama series of HBO.

In the series, Jocelyn's ex-boyfriend defame her even more by publishing an explicit photo of her online. She is taken advantage of by Tedros, who is portrayed by The Weeknd and is the charismatic leader of an NXIVM-like cult.