Despite criticism from audiences and critics, Lily-Rose Depp defends the explicit scenes in “The Idol” and considers them as art.
In an interview with Vogue Australia on June 28th, Lily-Rose Depp spoke out in defense of “The Idol” and its intense explicit scenes, despite severe criticisms from the audience and industry insiders.
Playing the role of Jocelyn, a pop star who is drawn to of mysterious cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd), the majority of Lily-Rose Depp’s screen time seems to be dedicated to nudity, partial nudity, and sexual acts. In addition, “The Idol” itself was deemed as a “sordid male fantasy” due to its abundance of explicit and “women degradation” scenes.
However, Lily-Rose asserts to Vogue Australia that the explicit scenes are “really intentional” and “important”, and claims that her experience with “The Idol” is safe and pleasant throughout.
“We know that we’re making something provocative and we are not shying away from that. That’s something I knew I was setting out to do from the beginning. I was never interested in making something puritanical”, Lily-Rose stated, adding, “It’s okay if this show isn’t for everyone and that’s fine”.
The leading actress of “The Idol” also described the show as one of “the best art”, and so is understandably polarizing.
She also mentioned that she has “never felt more respected and more safe on a set”, that “the nudity and the risqué nature of the role” is intentional and important, and that it was something she was excited about doing.
“I’m not scared of it. I think we live in a highly sexualised world. I think that’s an interesting thing to explore”, Lily-Rose Depp emphasized.
At the same time, the actress revealed that her portrayal of Jocelyn has changed her, and that she faced difficulties when the film concluded.
“I’ll never say goodbye to Jocelyn. It was such a beautiful time in my life, honestly, shooting this, with you, with all of us and everything. I’ll never forget it and it will live in my heart forever. I love this character so much, I feel like she has really changed me and also taught me so, so, so much”, Lily-Rose confessed.
In the same interview, Lily-Rose also touched upon her experience of growing up in fame, as the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. She recalled how, during her school days, many people would ask her humorous questions and have preconceived notions about her and her family before getting to know her better.
Prior to this, The Weeknd also made similar comments about his role as Tedros. In particular, the pop star mentioned in an interview with GQ that his character was deliberately created as a despicable and contemptible person.
Talking to Variety, he emphasized that the public’s strong reactions to “The Idol” were expected and exactly what the creative team wanted to achieve.
Source: Vogue Australia, GQ, Variety
