Lily-Rose Depp responds to her character in The Idol being compared to Britney Spears
Lily-Rose Depp says her character in explicit new drama The Idol is not based on Britney Spears.
Johnny Depp’s 23-year-old daughter stars as singer Jocelyn, a pop star trying to reclaim her career after a nervous breakdown on the HBO show, which was criticized for its “raunchiness.”
Her character has been compared to the Oops!…I Did It Again singer, 41, but in a new interview, Depp clarified that Spears was not the inspiration.
“No, it’s not based on anyone in particular… We’re definitely not trying to tell someone else’s story, but definitely create one of our own,” she said. Additional.
“This is a fictional character and a fictional story,” she added.
Not the inspiration: Lily-Rose Depp says her character in explicit new drama The Idol isn’t based on Britney Spears; (L) Depp in still from The Idol, (R) Spears in 2011
As for who the inspiration was, Lily-Rose revealed there were many.
“There were many different people who inspired me for this role. Some were pop stars, some weren’t,” she said.
“I wanted Jocelyn to feel like a modern pop queen of today at the same time, but also like someone who existed in her own world and in her own time, so I drew a lot of inspiration from actresses like… Gene Tierney and Sharon Stone and stuff like that I find women very inspiring.’
Lily-Rose also hit back at critics calling the show “too graphic,” saying the show’s raunchy nature added to the “rawness” of the character.
“I think the boldness of all the scenes was something that added to the rawness of the character. Also my desire to go there and explore the character as best I can.”
When asked what the show says about the industry, Depp said, “The way we idolize people in the public eye these days. And the way we almost convince ourselves we know them…”
“We build them up to this divine status and then we kind of enjoy tearing them down. I think there’s a big conversation about that on the show.”
It comes after the actress backed the show’s creator, Sam Levinson — the mastermind behind Euphoria — against allegations that he turned his latest HBO shock show into “torture porn and a rape fantasy.”
Pop star: Johnny Depp’s 23-year-old daughter stars as singer Jocelyn, a pop star trying to reclaim her career after a nervous breakdown on the HBO show
False: Her character has been compared to the Oops!…I Did It Again singer, 41, but in a new interview, Depp clarified that Spears was not the inspiration
Fictional: “No, it’s not based on anyone in particular… We’re definitely not trying to tell someone else’s story,” she told Extra, adding, “This is a fictional character and a fictional story”; Spears pictured in 2019
Her defense came after a crew member spoke under anonymity Rolling stone for a piece published in March, in which they said Sam ramped up the show’s nudity, sex, and violence to exploitative levels, and that the show’s tone changed after director Amy Seimetz left the project.
“It was like any rape fantasy any toxic man would have on the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” a crew member told the outlet.
Another agreed, saying, “It was like, ‘What is this? What am I reading here?’ It was like sexual torture porn.”
However, Lily-Rose 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.”
Meanwhile, at a press conference in Cannes on Wednesday, Levinson spoke out about what many critics see as unnecessary nudity.
“We live in a very sexualized world,” he said, “especially in the United States, and I think the influence of pornography is really strong in terms of the psyche of, I think, young people in the United States.
“Women I find inspiring”: Depp said she took inspiration from Sharon Stone, Gene Tierney, and other screen sirens, calling them “women I find really inspiring”; Stone pictured 2023
Coming soon: The HBO series, which has been criticized for its ‘raunchiness,’ premieres June 4
“We see this in pop music and how it reflects the underbelly of the internet. I think it’s very true to what almost every pop star is doing these days.”
Earlier in the day, The Idol released its final trailer as the controversial series prepares to debut on HBO.
The sneak peek teases more scenes of debauchery and the bizarre relationship between club owner/cult leader Tedros (played by The Weeknd) and Jocelyn.
The HBO series will premiere on June 4.