Johnny Depp is ‘proud of’ daughter Lily-Rose for taking on raunchy role in The Idol
Johnny Depp is ‘proud’ of daughter Lily-Rose for taking on her scandalous role in ‘torture porn’ series The Idol – and believes the raging controversy surrounding the series, for which she went topless and filmed a scandalous masturbation scene , is a sign that she is “doing something right.”
The 24-year-old actress takes center stage in HBO’s latest show as singer Jocelyn who suffered a nervous breakdown while on tour before meeting mysterious nightclub impresario Tedros – played by The Weeknd.
The sexually charged series, which featured masturbation, throttling and explicit selfies by Lily-Rose, drew criticism after viewers claimed creator Sam Levinson turned it into “torture porn and a rape fantasy.”
But despite the backlash, a source close to Johnny told DailyMail.com that he’s unfazed and instead “believes she’s doing something right to get this much attention.”
Johnny Depp is ‘proud’ of daughter Lily-Rose for taking on controversial role in The Idol, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal
The 24-year-old actress takes center stage in the HBO show as a singer who suffered a nervous breakdown before meeting mysterious nightclub impresario Tedros – played by The Weeknd
The sexually charged series, which features masturbation, smothering and explicit selfies by Lily-Rose, has been criticized for claims Sam Levinson turned it into “torture porn”
The source told DailyMail.com: “Johnny is thrilled that Lily is building her own career and challenging herself to take on roles that interest and test her.
“He likes her to be her own person and become her own actress. She does not rest her career on his success.
“He thinks it’s great that she’s such a strong person, especially now that she’s gotten some extra attention with her recent role in The Idol.
He’s proud of her and adds nothing to the extra chatter and drama the part brings.
“He believes she must be doing something right since the role is getting so much attention, and he’s proud of her success.”
A spokesperson for Johnny declined to comment.
The show features several explicit scenes – with one particular knife sexual encounter ending with Tedros nearly strangling Jocelyn.
When asked if The Idol’s treatment of female sexuality had gone too far, Levinson, best known for writing the hyper-explicit teen drama series Euphoria, replied: “We live in a highly sexualized world, especially in the United States — the influence of porn is strong and in the psyche of young people.’
The show features several explicit scenes – with one particular knife sexual encounter ending with Tedros nearly strangling Jocelyn.
Lily-Rose herself had previously come forward in defense of the show and its creator after members of the crew spoke to Rolling Stone anonymously for a piece saying Sam ramped up the show’s nudity, sex and violence to exploitative levels.
She told E! News in a statement: ‘Sam is the best director I’ve ever worked with for so many reasons.
“Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, more valued for my input and opinions.
“Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way – the most important thing to him is not just what his actors think of the work, but how we feel when we perform it.
“He hires people whose work he appreciates and has always created an environment where I felt seen, heard and valued.”
Lily-Rose also recently shared it People that its raunchyness is “very important” in her portrayal of her character as a wannabe singer.
But the series was branded “toxic” and “disturbing” in the early wave of reviews by critics and viewers alike, as many questioned why Lily-Rose Depp’s character is “always naked.”
A piece written by Lovia Gyarkye from the Hollywood Reporter called the upcoming drama “more regressive than transgressive” in a disappointing verdict.
When asked if The Idol’s treatment of female sexuality had gone too far, the filmmaker replied: “We live in a very sexualized world, especially in the United States – the influence of porn is strong and in the psyches of young people.”
The review related how HBO tried to reinforce the sex-fueled debauchery in marketing the series by advertising it from the “sick and deranged minds” of Levinson and The Weeknd.
It also criticized the “unnecessary” displays of nudity for Lily’s character Jocelyn, adding, “Rarely a scene goes by without the camera flashing her breasts or showing a **.”
In the meantime, Variety spoke of some of the “controversial” sexual portrayals on the show, as it claimed The Idol had “shocked” Cannes during its premiere.
Critics Matt Donnelly and Zack Sharf wrote, “Revenge porn shots of bodily fluids on Depp’s face, masturbation with ice cubes, nightclub-owning con artists and villainous Hollywood sycophants populated the first two episodes of the already controversial series.”
Deadline also referenced the previous controversies surrounding the series, condemning Cannes for “grabbing attention” by premiering an HBO show at the prestigious film festival.