I don’t really want to talk about HBO’s The Idol, especially since Rolling Stone did an article about what a catastrophe the show is, how the writing sucks, how the series isn’t some high-brow commentary on misogyny, it simply is misogynistic. Oh, and HBO poured money into The Idol too – they kept doing reshoots, re-edits and rewrites. Well, Lily Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) cover W Magazine, because the show is supposed to be about the two of them. Only much like the show, Abel dominates what was supposed to be a dual interview. Some highlights:

Abel on closing down The Weeknd chapter: “I’m going through a cathartic path right now. It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”

Lily-Rose on auditioning for the role: “I never thought I would get the part. I knew there would be many lovely ladies who are more musical than me, but I thought, I’ll give it a go.” Depp borrowed a tight pink satin skirt and a purple tank top from her mother, Vanessa Paradis. “I wanted to wear pop-star colors. And I wanted to channel a certain L.A. feeling. I grew up in L.A., and I’m an L.A. girl, and so is Jocelyn. I wanted to capture the style mix of mischief and shine.”

Lily-Rose’s inspo: “Of course I’m a Britney fan! Who doesn’t love Britney? But I was also thinking about Beyoncé, Mariah, and every huge pop star of our time. I wanted Jocelyn to be the kind of woman who can dominate a room, someone who doesn’t ever shy away from their sparkle.”

Lily-Rose wanted Jocelyn to be blonde: “As a blonde, Jocelyn could be good; she could be evil. You never know. I grew up watching older films, especially French films. Women like Brigitte Bardot have beauty mixed with an ‘I don’t give a f–k’ energy. I wanted that feeling for Jocelyn.”

Abel on playing the villain: “Who doesn’t want to play a villain? I’ve always been the antihero. In the beginning of my career, I didn’t show myself at all. I didn’t want to be famous. For the first two years, no one knew what I looked like.”

Sam Levinson on Abel’s pitch: “Abel came to us with a pitch. He said something that I’ll always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could.’ What he meant is that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere. That was the germ of the idea for The Idol: what happens when a pop star falls for the wrong guy and no one speaks up.”

[From W Magazine]

This is all just reminding me of why I don’t watch Euphoria, honestly. At some point, Sam Levinson’s productions crossover from “commentary on exploitation” to “just plain exploitation.” Lily-Rose seems to believe that she’s promoting a show about a pop star in a bad relationship. Abel thinks he’s promoting a show where he’s the lead and it’s all about how he’s a charismatic villain, a cult-leader who can make this pop star do whatever he wants. I’m sure some people will watch it, but I won’t be one of them.

Covers courtesy of W Magazine.