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'Mix of mischief and shine': Lily-Rose Depp reveals the pop stars who inspired her for ‘The Idol’

HBO's controversial series 'The Idol' is about a young pop star named Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp, and her tumultuous life

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: HBO’s ‘The Idol’, which made its world premiere at Cannes on May 22, 2023, and became the first TV show to officially debut at the film festival, released on Sunday, June 4. The controversial series is about a young pop star named Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp, and her tumultuous life. The series, however, was compared to pornography. The show features photos of bodily fluids on Depp’s face, masturbation with ice cubes, and some other steamy and wild scenes.

In an interview, Sam Levinson, the creator of the series, said the show was inspired by the dark side of fame. He told W magazine, "[Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd] 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.”

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'I’m a Britney fan'

Talking about her inspiration behind the character, Depp said, "Of course I’m a Britney fan. Who doesn’t love Britney? But I was also thinking about Beyonce, 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 Depp sang 'Fever' for audition

For her audition for the role, Depp wore a tight pink satin skirt and a purple tank top from her mother Vanessa Paradis. She said, “I wanted to wear pop-star colors. And I wanted to channel a certain LA feeling. I grew up in LA, and I’m an LA girl, and so is Jocelyn. I wanted to capture the style mix of mischief and shine.”

For the audition, she had to sing a cappella. She sang a minute of 'Fever'. "I thought, here’s where I don’t get called back," she narrated to the magazine. But she bagged the role. She said, “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."

Talking about a scene that they had to film inside the SoFi Stadium packed with 70,000 fans ahead of The Weeknd‘s Los Angeles concert last fall, she said, “I was a nervous wreck. I was praying to all my guardian angels. I knew we only had two takes at SoFi. I felt like I was going to my wedding — I was so dolled up and in white!” However, she ultimately nailed the scene and later confessed, “It was quite addicting. I didn’t want to leave.”