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| (Source=HBO Official YouTube Channel) |
The HBO series "The Idol," starring BlackPink member Jennie, has begun broadcasting in North America.
'The Idol,' which premiered on the 4th (local time), depicts the relationship between pop idol stars and the culture industry, and starring pop star The Weeknd (Able Tesfaye), actor Johnny Depp's daughter Lily-Rose Depp, Australian singer-songwriter Troy Sivan, and Jennie, the series has been generating buzz even before its release.
Earlier, "The Idol" was officially invited to the non-competition section of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival in France on March 22, where the second installment made its world premiere. According to foreign media, a five-minute standing ovation erupted after the screening. With a number of celebrities including Jennie in the cast, and Sam Levinson of the popular series "Euphoria" as co-creator and director, public expectations were high.
However, this anticipation quickly turned to disappointment as harsh reviews poured in, especially from journalists and critics who had seen "The Idol" first.
The criticisms are clear. Misogynistic portrayals, masculinist sexual fantasies, and more. After the show premiered, the controversy intensified. One outlet expressed outright disappointment, stating that "regardless of the controversies that have been raised, it's just not funny.
The same goes for viewer reactions, especially from fans of BLACKPINK and Jennie. However, this controversy was somewhat predictable from the beginning of "The Idol" production.
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| Able Tesfaye, from left, Lily-Rose Depp and Sam Levinson attend a screening of "The Idol" during the 76th annual Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. (AP/News) |
In June 2021, Tesfaye raised eyebrows when she revealed that she would be producing the series alongside Reza Fahim and Sam Levinson, who would also co-write the script. However, Amy Seimetz, who was originally set to serve as executive producer, left the project the following April 2022. Her departure raised questions as the show was more than 80% complete. She was replaced by Sam Levinson. He stepped in as producer and director.
"It's believed that 'The Idol' has already filmed four or five episodes," Deadline reported at the time, adding that Seimetz's departure "is understood to be due to Tesfaye's dissatisfaction with the show's creative direction. After headlining Coachella and performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, he felt the series was too heavily skewed toward a 'female perspective,' with co-star Rose Depp's character more prominent than his own."
In response, HBO said that "producers will be making adjustments to the cast and crew to best deliver a fresh approach to the series." While the vague official statement didn't clear up any questions, production seemed to be moving forward, with filming taking place on location at Tesfaye's concert in September of that year, and new actors like Jennie being cast.
However, The Idol's premiere date was delayed several times. Initially, HBO had hoped to premiere the show in the fall of last year, but plans fell through and there was no official word on when the show would premiere.
Then, in March of this year, Rolling Stone cited 13 cast and crew members as the reason for the show's delay. "'The Idol' has been plagued by delays, reshoots, and rewrites," Rolling Stone said, adding that the nearly finished $54 million project was scrapped after Seimitz dropped out and Levinson took over as director, rewriting and reshooting the movie, which led to dramatic delays.
"Many sources say Levinson watered down important messages in favor of sexual content and nudity that equaled or exceeded that of his most successful series, 'Euphoria,'" the outlet noted, suggesting that the series became more sensationalized than it should have been.
One producer told Rolling Stone that the series was originally intended to be a dark satire of 21st-century fame and celebrity, "but it went from being a satire to being a satire itself." The idea of exposing the dark underbelly of the entertainment industry was lost, and it became a sensationalized, violent issue. Another producer described The Idol after Levinson took the helm as "like a rape fantasy".
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| (Source: Weekend (Able Thespian) Instagram capture) |
As Rolling Stone's report sparked controversy, creator, writer, and lead actor Tesfaye weighed in - but not with specifics or a rebuttal, but with a mocking response. Tesfaye posted a teaser for The Idol on Instagram, tagging Rolling Stone's account and writing, "Did we offend you?"
How did the cast react? "Levinson is the best director," said Rose Depp, who co-stars alongside Tesfaye, "Working with him is a true collaboration in every way. It's not just about what you think of the work, it's about the process of doing it. He hires people who take pride in their work and creates an environment where they are seen, heard, and appreciated."
Actress Jane Adams was also interviewed and said, "I want to ask why nudity is a bad thing," and that Levinson is "one of the funniest and smartest directors I've ever worked with." She added, "I love working with him. He's a visionary genius," and "Working with him is thrilling because you don't know what to expect. It's also not boring. It's the opposite of sleepy," he added in defense of the director.
Despite the actors' defense, criticism of "The Idol" continues. As of July 7, "The Idol" has a dismal freshness score of 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. A score of 60% or lower is considered a "rotten tomato," or a flop, and "The Idol" has been humiliated by falling far short of that mark. "Not since the 1980s has there been such a parade of disrespectful, sordid debauchery on TV," wrote Time magazine's Stephanie Zacharek, while The Playlist's Robert Daniels called it "crude, gross, and sexist in a nutshell." The Popcorn Index, a measure of audience approval, also scored a lowly 60%.
It's also underperforming when compared to Levinson's previous film, Euphoria. According to Forbes and others, "The Idol" drew 913,000 viewers for its premiere, which was 17% lower than Euphoria's season one. "It's a mix of misogyny and bad writing and acting," Forbes said, "and we can only hope it's a big mistake by HBO and not an indication of where 'Euphoria' Season 3 is headed."
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| (Source=HBO Official YouTube Channel) 2 |
The series has been met with criticism both domestically and internationally, and Jennie's highly anticipated acting debut has come under fire. Alongside the controversy over the sensationalism of the series, she's also been accused of being thoroughly instrumentalized, with many commenters accusing the series of simply "using her up.
In the first episode, Jennie appears for about five minutes and dances with a group of dancers in a choreographed routine that is reminiscent of sexual intercourse. The camera emphasizes her facial expressions and body, and there are videos circulating online that cut out the scene and loop it.
Despite the fact that she's not the main character, Jennie's character doesn't have much of a story. Before the series premiered, one of the producers told Rolling Stone that Jennie had very little screen time and was not important to the narrative. "Her lines were about three or four lines in the synagogue," he said, "They (the producers) didn't let her speak that much. Her job was basically to sit there and look pretty." In fact, when the series premiered, Jennie had only three lines in the first episode, a very small amount considering that The Idol was billed as Jennie's acting debut and she attended official events such as premieres and red carpets.
Earlier, at the Cannes Film Festival, Jennie told fashion publication WWD that she was "honored to be able to launch my acting career in Cannes," and that "the music industry (as a subject matter) fascinated me and allowed me to get into the role more."
"It was a chance to be myself and be braver," he says, adding, "I didn't train or prepare for it. Levinson wanted me to be myself, too."
In response to this, some people expressed disappointment that Jennie chose "The Idol" for her acting debut, pointing out that she should have been more careful in choosing a project, as there are viewers who watch the show just because he is famous in Korea and abroad. Criticism has also been directed at his agency, YG Entertainment, saying that they should have checked the script and adjusted the choreography before filming. However, since Jennie participated in the project as an 'actor', the criticism is directed at 'The Idol', not him.
The main analysis so far is that under the guise of exposing the exploitation of the music industry, "The Idol" seems to enjoy the system more than anyone else. The six-episode series has only aired one episode so far, so we'll have to wait and see how it plays out, but with so many objectifying and misogynistic depictions of women, it's unclear how many viewers will be able to sit through it patiently.
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