--- title: HBO's The Idol Cast and Crew Respond to Controversy description: The Idol has been stirring up controversy for months and after the show's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, they are stoking the flames. canonical: https://time.com/6282102/the-idol-cannes-hbo-controversy/ author: Moises Mendez article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-05-23T21:00:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T15:55:37.093Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Every Controversial Thing The Idol Cast and Crew Has Said on Its Press Run og:description: The Idol has been stirring up controversy for months and after the show's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, they are stoking the flames. og:url: https://time.com/6282102/the-idol-cannes-hbo-controversy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26f168587aaec497/698a3d43db2987c75f26906b/GettyImages-1257492767.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GettyImages-1257492767.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Every Controversial Thing The Idol Cast and Crew Has Said on Its Press Run twitter:description: The Idol has been stirring up controversy for months and after the show's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, they are stoking the flames. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26f168587aaec497/698a3d43db2987c75f26906b/GettyImages-1257492767.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Every Controversial Thing _The Idol_ Cast and Creators Have Said in the Lead-Up to Its HBO Premiere > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Moises Mendez](https://time.com/author/moises-mendez-ii/)  ## Moises Mendez May 23, 2023 9:00 PM UTC  (From L) US director Sam Levinson, French-US actress Lily-Rose Depp and Canadian singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye aka The Weeknd at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. (From L) US director Sam Levinson, French-US actress Lily-Rose Depp and Canadian singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye aka The Weeknd at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)  by [Moises Mendez](https://time.com/author/moises-mendez-ii/)  ## Moises Mendez May 23, 2023 9:00 PM UTC HBO’s upcoming series _The Idol_ is currently facing a torrential downpour of negative reviews after its first two episodes premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Monday night. Not much about the show was known before [_Rolling Stone_‘s explosive exposé](https://time.com/6259919/the-idol-hbo-sam-levinson-controversy/) about its allegedly plagued production, published in March, in which it was described by one crew member as a “rape fantasy.” Last night’s world premiere seemed to solidify that sentiment. Across publications and platforms, critics expressed their distaste for _Euphoria_ creator Sam Levinson’s latest creation alongside Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye. TIME’s film critic, Stephanie Zacharek, [wrote in her review](https://time.com/6281900/the-idol-review-hbo/) of the show, “Not since early 1980s cable TV has there been such a parade of decorous yet sleazy debauchery, though it’s all presented with a kind of shockeroo enlightened knowingness that pretends to expose exploitation even while reveling in it.” Although the show debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a [score of 20%](https://twitter.com/PopBase/status/1661032352972435461?s=20), it has since gone [down to 10%](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the%5Fidol). But as the saying goes, no press is bad press, and Levinson, Tesfaye (who also co-stars), and star Lily-Rose Depp appear to know exactly what they are doing, adding to the show’s intrigue with their responses to the public reaction. The three attended the festivities in France and, during their press run, have only stoked the flames of controversy further. Here’s a recap of the many controversial things _The Idol_ cast and creators have said during the press run for the new show, which premieres on HBO on June 4\. ## **_Euphoria_** **actors push back on nude scenes and one exits the show** Before _The Idol_ was announced, there had already been some rumblings about drama on the set of Levinson’s hit HBO show _Euphoria_. The first came from [Barbie Ferreira](https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-euphoria-season-2s-messy-behind-the-scenes-drama-from-sam-levinson-to-barbie-ferreira-storming-off), who suddenly dropped out of the show before filming for its third season began. Rumors about her displeasure with Levinson loomed over the show. According to a report from _The Daily Beast_, there were on-set tensions between Levinson and Ferreira, causing her to allegedly walk off set. She went on Dax Shepard’s podcast _Armchair Expert_ and cleared up many of the rumors (“I actually did not walk off set,” she said). It was announced in August that she wouldn’t be returning to the show. Four of the [show’s actors](https://www.dazeddigital.com/film-tv/article/55488/1/four-euphoria-actresses-discomfort-nudity-sam-levinson-sydney-sweeney?amp=1)—Sydney Sweeney, Minka Kelly, Chloe Cherry, and Martha Kelly—have all said they pushed back at the “unnecessary” nudity in some of the scenes. This was, apparently, just a primer for what was to come. ## **The Weeknd responds to** **_Rolling Stone_** **’s e** **xposé** After _Rolling Stone_ published its story detailing the experiences that 13 crew members claimed to have had on set, as well as how drastically the show changed from “satire to the thing it was satirizing,” Tesfaye responded on social media. His tweet included a clip from the show, in which Dan Levy’s character asks Depp’s character to consider an offer to be on _Rolling Stone_, to which Tesfaye’s character then says, “_Rolling Stone_? Aren’t they a little irrelevant?” Depp’s character interjects and says that the publication is “past its prime.” The caption for the post reads, “@RollingStone, did we upset you?” > [](https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1631045507471605760) This response was not received well on Twitter, with many people calling it “corny” and “misguided.” ## **_The Idol’_** **s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival** A select audience watched the first two episodes of Levinson’s latest creation at Cannes, and the critical reception was harsh. At the press conference for the show, reporters tweeted out dispatches with the creators’ responses to some of the show’s controversies. > [](https://twitter.com/NewsWeeknd/status/1660993771109064706) After the screening, Levinson was handed a microphone and began to cry, overwhelmed as he addressed the crowd. > [](https://twitter.com/kylebuchanan/status/1660773744342712320) Standing staunchly in the sentiment that he’s positioning himself as a provocateur, Levinson says he sees nothing wrong with the show he’s made. When asked about the _Rolling Stone_ article, the show’s creator said, “When my wife read me the article, I looked at her, and I said, ‘I think we’re about to have the biggest show of the summer.’” He also said that he knows “we’re making a show that is provocative.” New York _Times_ reporter Kyle Buchanan tweeted that Levinson was asked about how he “calibrated sex scenes without taking things too far.” Levinson responded, “Sometimes things that might be revolutionary _are_ taken too far.” > [](https://twitter.com/kylebuchanan/status/1660979420079742979) During the press conference, Depp came to Levinson’s defense and said, “It’s always a little sad and disheartening to see mean, false things said about someone you care about. It wasn’t reflective at all of my experience,” [_Variety_](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-idol-cannes-premiere-sam-levinson-lily-rose-depp-the-weeknd-1235622418/) reports. She said the show has a “revolutionary” use of nudity. “We live in a very sexualized world. Especially in the States, the influence of pornography is strong in the psyche of young people. We see this in pop music,” Levinson said during the press conference. “When you have a character who has a strong sense of self and a strong sexual self, you end up underestimating her.” Tesfaye also noted during the press conference that he and Levinson were making something that was “special, something fun, to make people laugh and piss some people off.” It remains to be seen how much of each of these reactions the show will provoke when a general audience finally gets to see it in early June. 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