The Weeknd Gets Candid About The 'Hell' Of Making The Ill-Fated Drama The Idol

The Weeknd has reflected on his experiences making the ill-fated TV drama The Idol.

Originally considered one of the most hotly-anticipated new shows of 2023, The Idol was met with a barrage of negative reviews when it finally premiered, as well as widespread rumours of behind-the-scenes drama (particularly in one damning Rolling Stone article), and it was eventually cancelled after just one season.

Speaking to The Guardian in an interview published on Friday morning, the Blinding Lights described the making of the show as “hell”, admitting that it felt like there were “too many cooks in the kitchen” during its production.

“It could have been great if it had a beginning, middle and end. It just ended on middle,” he said, noting that it “makes a lot of sense” the show would be so widely derided by critics.

He continued: “The best films have as much of a singular voice as possible, and everybody working on it cares about it just as much as the director and the actors [...] people cared about [The Idol], for sure. But I think it got to a point where everyone was trying to get to the finish line.

“You can’t force something, you’ve just got to let it be whatever it is, even if it’s half-baked.”

The Weeknd also claimed that he tried not to exercise too much power in his roles as co-creator and co-producer, out of concern he’d be perceived as “difficult”.

“You’ve got to pay your dues. But boy, did I pay my dues,” he quipped.

“With Idol, our instincts were ‘This isn’t right,’ but we wanted it to work,” he later added, while praising lead actor Lily Rose-Depp as “fearless”, and someone with the potential to be a “legend” in her field.

After his less-than-perfect experience making The Idol, The Weeknd can currently be seen in action in Hurry Up Tomorrow, a companion piece to his album of the same name.

The musical thriller also features appearances from Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega, and is in select cinemas now.