Right now, everyone and anyone has an opinion on HBO’s The Idol television show. The project has received withering criticism, has been defended by those involved in it, and, now, another actor tied to it says the full picture really will be better for the audiences.
The Weeknd (who plays Tedros on the show about a pop star with troubles getting caught up with a cult leader and whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) makes the comments in a new article published by Variety. In the interview, he says the criticisms of the project have not discouraged him and have very much been expected, and, after these remarks, the article’s writer mentions the Brian De Palma film Dressed to Kill and how it changes in its second half after a very slow start. They tell Tesfaye they are waiting for The Idol to shift in a similar way, and, curiously, he does not dispute this being part of the plan and also says they may be pulling from a master who has made some work which has been reviled at first only to become beloved by folks later.
“Brian De Palma is a huge inspiration for all this, and of course Verhoeven [Basic Instinct, Total Recall, RoboCop]. But look, we’re playing with genres with this. And none of this is a surprise. I’m excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show.”
Such intent and shifts in how something is viewed have happened throughout the years (BoJack Horseman‘s first episodes are disliked, several John Carpenter projects only found their audiences later, etc.) but this is also not guaranteed. For now, audiences will have to wait and see what The Idol’s history will be. Its first (and possibly only) season ends next month and, if this project does not last for Tesfaye, he also says in the report he has more musical projects to do and a documentary-like piece soon as well.
“I’m excited to challenge myself and see how we can how we can change the game. We’re shooting the inception of something now, which… which I feel like I haven’t been able to do before. So, whatever we’re doing now, we’re capturing the genesis of.”
The Idol currently has a 27 percent rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on more than 60 reviews, the consensus is it is “every bit as sleazy as the industry it seeks to satirize” and it also places itself on a pedestal with some style but “wilts under the spotlight.”