Lily-Rose Depp has been steadily making a name for herself within the Hollywood landscape over the past several years. And as a result, she’s slowly but surely moving out of the shadow of her famous father, Johnny Depp. The 23-year-old actress has had roles in films such as The King, Silent Night and Wolf and is now venturing into TV for a new show. Depp has been tapped to lead upcoming HBO drama The Idol, which will pair her with The Weeknd. The series dropped a trailer this past weekend, and social media has plenty of thoughts on it. But Depp isn’t exactly at the center of the chatter.
The Idol is the brainchild of The Weeknd, Reza Fahim and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. Those who are familiar with Levinson’s work on his Emmy-winning drama surely know that he tends to tell stories centered around young adults and employs themes like love, trauma, sexuality and identity. He’s also been noted for crafting graphic sex scenes, with some taking issue with the way he’s portrayed some of his female characters. Upon the release of the trailer for his latest show, a number of people like @AIaaAshraf took to Twitter to share some honest thoughts:
sam levinson’s obsess[i]on with nudity and oversexualization of his female leads needs to be studied cuz this is not normal
The Idol sports a backdrop that’s vastly different from Euphoria’s, as the new series tackles the music industry. It tells the story of a self-help guru (who also happens to be the leader of a modern-day cult), as he starts a relationship with an up-and-coming pop star. Despite the differences in the narrative, some like Twitter user @diornowhere still see similarities:
Sam Levinson’s storytelling is just drugs, sexualization, party and boobs.
Euphoria’s graphic nudity and intense drug-related scenes have been widely discussed by commentators. Series star Sydney Sweeney has discussed her nude scenes, even discussing her own grandparent’s surprising reaction to them. Her co-star, Jacob Elordi, has also talked about being nude on the show. While he seemingly had to adjust to it, Elordi now seems comfortable “getting naked in front of [his] family,” (a.k.a. the crew). When it comes to the characters’ drug use, the D.A.R.E. program’s leaders are among those who were upset with its depiction of addiction. Lead actress Zendaya eventually responded to D.A.R.E., arguing that the series “is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing.”
Story arcs and suggestive content aside, Sam Levinson has also established a very specific visual aesthetic for the young adult show. And one fan called him out for utilizing, what appears to be, the exact same approach for The Idol:
sam levinson starting to be a one trick pony with his cinematography like it’s genuinely the same light show with every sceneJuly 17, 2022
Another aspect of the trailer that commentators seem to have thoughts on is the way in which the Malcolm and Marie director is referred to as a creator. One fan seems to find humor in the varied creative titles that he has on his different projects:
“from visionary director” in the malcolm and marie trailer to “from the sick and twisted minds of euphoria” im cryinggg sam levinson always giving himself fake titles bc no one else is bothered to give it to him 😭😭July 17, 2022
Despite any criticism aimed at Sam Levinson, it’s likely that many are going to have their eyes on this new show when it kicks off its run. It certainly has a high bar to clear, given the acclaim that his other show has received. We’ll see if Levinson, Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd can deliver a compelling piece of work to an audience that appears to be angling for something fresh.
The Idol is set to premiere later this year as part of the 2023 TV schedule. While you wait for it, you can read all about The Idol controversy, or stream the first two seasons of Euphoria with an HBO Max subscription.
