The Weeknd on ‘The Idol’ Backlash: “Too Many Cooks” Spoiled Its Great Potential!

As his first film makes its debut in theaters amidst a wave of mostly unfavorable critiques, The Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye) openly acknowledges the criticism directed at HBO’s The Idol, the precursor to Trey Edward Shults’ Hurry Up Tomorrow. Both works delve into the creation of musical legends.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Tesfaye concurred that the critical reception to The Idol “makes a lot of sense.” A revealing article in Rolling Stone surfaced before the show aired, highlighting behind-the-scenes turmoil involving expensive reshoots and a major shakeup in the creative team towards the end of production. The report also alleged a shift towards a misogynistic narrative, moving away from the originally intended female-centric perspective, turning it into what one insider described as “sexual torture porn.”

Tesfaye pointed out that the series faced challenges well before Euphoria creator Sam Levinson stepped in as director, replacing Amy Seimetz: “The pandemic hit, theaters were out, and TV became king.” Originally planned as a miniseries, it expanded into a five-part series. Tesfaye noted, “It could have been great if it had a clear beginning, middle, and end. It just ended in the middle.”

He added, “The best movies have as consistent of a vision as possible, with everyone involved caring deeply about the project just as much as the director and actors do.”

When asked if this was not the case with The Idol, The Weeknd clarified, “No, people definitely cared. But it seemed like eventually everyone was just trying to cross the finish line. You can’t force it; you have to let it become whatever it’s going to be, even if it’s unfinished.”

Despite his roles as star, co-producer, and co-writer of The Idol, he mentioned he didn’t want to overly dominate the creative process for fear of gaining a reputation as difficult to work with: “Then I become ‘difficult’, and being called difficult in Hollywood spreads like wildfire.” He emphasized that this is particularly true for those new to acting, adding, “You have to earn your stripes. And earn them I did.”

He concluded, “Our gut feelings are divine whispers: ‘This isn’t right.’ Ignoring them can feel almost sacrilegious. Seriously! And you end up paying for it. With Idol, we sensed ‘This isn’t right,’ but we wanted it to work so badly… Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

The Idol, starring Lily-Rose Depp as a troubled pop star who falls under the influence of a cult-like nightclub promoter Tedros (Tesfaye), was discontinued by HBO after one season due to its poor reception and ratings.

Meanwhile, Hurry Up Tomorrow, featuring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, casts Tesfaye as a musician battling insomnia who is drawn into a transformative journey with a stranger that begins to unravel his very being, according to the film’s description. The screenplay, loosely based on the Grammy winner’s own experiences, was co-written by Shults, Tesfaye, and The Idol‘s Reza Fahim.