What controversy? Beaming Lily-Rose Depp joins co-star The Weeknd at The Idol photocall

Lily-Rose Depp and co-star The Weeknd ignored the recent controversy surrounding their new HBO series The Idol on Tuesday when they attended a photocall at the Cannes Film Festival.

Johnny Depp’s daughter, 23, created a storm with the singer, 33, as they celebrated its release, despite the show being criticized by critics for its “graphic” sex scenes.

The model and actress, who plays fictional up-and-coming pop star Jocelyn in the new series, looks very leggy in a plunging black mini dress, while boosting her height in matching heels.

Lily-Rose styled her golden locks in loose curls and chose to accentuate her gorgeous features with a dramatic smokey-eye makeup palette.

Meanwhile, The Weeknd, aka Canadian Star Abel Tesfaye, looked typically stylish in a black leather jacket and boots.

The pair couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces as they posed for fun snaps alongside director Sam Levinson.

The Idol received a red carpet reception worthy of any Hollywood blockbuster on Monday at the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival.

The first two to three episodes of the HBO series were shown out of competition on the French Riviera.

And leading lady Lily-Rose Depp was on hand to drink in the applause as she made her way down the Croisette – just days after her father’s return to the acting crew was confirmed on the same promenade

It comes after their new HBO series The Idol has been panned after it premiered Monday.

The show, which will air on HBO on June 4, was a rare TV project to screen at France’s annual film event at the Grand Théâtre Lumière.

It is the story of “an up-and-coming pop idol” named Jocelyn (Lily) as she enters a “complicated relationship” with “a self-help guru and leader of a modern cult” and nightclub manager named Tedros (The Weeknd). , according to a synopsis.

The Idol had already sparked controversy after a March report in Rolling Stone called it “torture porn” and described a series of problems during production, citing multiple insiders.

And now it’s received a slew of mixed reviews. Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter called the upcoming drama “more regressive than transgressive.”

The report noted how the network has attempted to reinforce the sex-fueled debauchery of marketing the series, advertising it from “the Hollywood gutters” and the “sick & twisted minds” of Levinson and the rapper.

The show was described as “an older, even more stylized version of Euphoria’s second season”, referring to another of Levinson’s HBO series.

A scene in which a music executive argued with a director to “stop blocking America,” Gyarkye said, was indicative of “the intent of the show and raises a metaphorical hand to incoming haters: Sex sells, and The Idol enjoys That’.

The report noted that the scenes in the show are characterized by Levinson’s “efficient and stylish direction” and a variety of vibes.

“Some have momentum, others are contradictory, and most are confusing,” Gyarkye said. “It makes you wonder if by trying so hard to be cross-border, the show ends up being regressive.”

It referenced the unnecessary displays of nudity for Lily’s character Jocelyn, noting, “Rarely a scene goes by without the camera flashing her breasts or showing a **.”

“You start to wonder if this is leading anywhere, and in episode two it seems likely that it probably isn’t.”

A Variety report written by Matt Donnelly and Zack Sharf noted that the show’s first few episodes cover seedy topics such as “revenge porn shots of bodily fluids on Depp’s face, masturbation with ice cubes, nightclub-owning con artists, and mean Hollywood sycophants ‘. .

The screenings were met with a “five-minute standing ovation,” according to the publication.

Meanwhile, Deadline’s Damon Wise referenced the series’ previous controversies, noting that in the case of life imitating art, the goofy scenes surrounding the premiere wouldn’t look out of place on screen in a story that, at least as far as anyone could tell, is a satire on the sensationalized world of contemporary pop culture, where good is bad and bad is the bare minimum’.

The critic also described the series as “part giallo, part erotic thriller and thus two parts Brian De Palma,” also drawing a comparison to Charles Manson.

The Los Angeles Times review written by Mary McNamara noted that the series has “a similar penchant for graphic sex, cute clothes, and self-destruction” as Euphoria.

It was described as “a, well, naked attempt to bring the TikTok generation back to cinemas with an enticing fake baby vibe, along with hints of scandal”.

However, Lily’s performance was praised by a number of critics, with THR’s Gyarkye calling it “convincing.”

Wise described it as a “highly sexualized performance … grounded and often vulnerable, uncomfortably tackling the thin line between porn and art” and “power and exploitation that young women in the music industry have faced for years.”

The cast of the series is completed by Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, Jennie Kim, Eli Roth and Hank Azaria.