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In defense of Jocelyn. Lily-Rose Depp<\/strong><\/a> and The Weeknd<\/strong><\/a> have been sharing their thoughts about the backlash to The Idol<\/em>, which premiered on HBO in June 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n The series \u2014 in which Depp plays troubled pop star Jocelyn \u2014 started making headlines more than one year before it premiered<\/a>. In April 2022, director Amy Seimetz<\/strong> exited the project, reportedly after completing six episodes. At the time, Deadline<\/em><\/a> reported that The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) felt the show was leaning too much into a \u201cfemale perspective\u201d with its focus on Jocelyn.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Idol\u2019s creative team continues to build, refine and evolve their vision for the show and they have aligned on a new creative direction,\u201d HBO told Variety<\/em> in a statement at the time. \u201cThe production will be adjusting its cast and crew accordingly to best serve this new approach to the series.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly one year later, Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a> published an expos\u00e9 that described production on the series as a \u201cs\u2013tshow.\u201d According to the article, the show was hastily rewritten to include more sex and nudity after Sam Levinson<\/strong> took the reins following Seimetz\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n In response, The Weeknd tweeted a clip<\/a> from the show in which Dan Levy<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s character suggests a Rolling Stone<\/em> profile to Jocelyn. Before she can answer, the \u201cBlinding Lights\u201d singer\u2019s character, Tedros, answers for her. \u201cRolling Stone<\/em>? Aren\u2019t they a little irrelevant?\u201d he asks. In his caption for the clip, The Weeknd added, \u201c@RollingStone did we upset you?\u201d<\/p>\n HBO, meanwhile, denied the report, claiming that the initial version of the show \u201cdid not meet HBO standards,\u201d so the network went back to the drawing board. \u201cThroughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew,\u201d a rep for the network told Variety<\/em> in a statement in March 2023.<\/p>\n After The Idol<\/em> premiered in June 2023, debate about whether the show is misogynist continued online. One Vulture<\/em><\/a> critic described the sex scenes as \u201clike faint rape-fantasy porn,\u201d while The Playlist<\/em><\/a> called The Idol<\/em> \u201ccrude, gross and sexist.\u201d<\/p>\n Levinson, for his part, isn\u2019t bothered by the criticism. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes it exciting, that these discussions are fraught,\u201d the Euphoria<\/a><\/em> creator told The New York Times<\/em><\/a> in June 2023. \u201cI think running headfirst into that fire is what thrills us all.\u201d<\/p>\n Depp has also expressed her admiration for the show as well as her fellow creators. In response to Rolling Stone<\/em>\u2018s article about The Idol<\/em>, the King<\/em> actress declared Levinson \u201cthe best director\u201d she\u2019s ever worked with. \u201cNever have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input and opinions more valued,\u201d she told E! News<\/em><\/a> in a statement in March 2023. \u201cWorking with Sam is a true collaboration in every way \u2014 it matters to him, more than anything, not only what his actors think about the work, but how we feel performing it.\u201d<\/p>\n