The singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, was inspired by “dracula” to play his character in the series “The Idol” (HBO), where he debuts his first big role on the small screen as well as co-creating it with Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”) and Amy Seimetz.
In a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, where the first two episodes of this drama about fame and the music industry with a lot of explicit content premiered last night, Tesfaye assured that the closest reference he can think of for Tedros , the villain he plays, is “dracula”.
“Have I found someone like Tedros (in the music industry)? Fuck (sic), I don’t think so. I feel lucky,” added the “Blinding Lights” and “Starboy” singer.
For his part, Levinson shared that the final “click” for the character occurred in Tesfaye’s closet, while looking at clothes, and they wondered what would happen to someone who had The Weeknd’s dreams, but without his talent.
The series, which received a 5-minute standing ovation last night at the Grand Theater Lumière, has not left anyone indifferent on the Croisette, fulfilling all its promises of a sordid and torrid tale of fame and the music industry.
In addition to having participated in its creation, Tesfaye co-stars in it with Lily-Rose Depp and has a cast full of television and music stars.
“The Idol” Tackles the Complicated Relationship Between a Manipulative Self-Help Guru and a Nightclub Ownerplayed by Tesfaye, and a rising pop idol (Lily-Rose Depp) with big problems.
The production is preceded by various controversies related to graphic and sexual content, in addition to accusations of a toxic environment on set, something that the team has emphatically denied in Cannes. Its development also followed a rocky path, with major creative revisions. and expensive re-recordings, according to the American press.