Lily-Rose Depp’s The Idol Gets Record-Breaking Terrible Score
Lily Rose-Depp's new series, The Idol, has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes critic rating for a new HBO series.
Young actress Lily-Rose Depp is starring in a new HBO original series The Idol that just screened its first two episodes at the Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately, critics are not impressed with the show or the performance of the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. The Idol currently has a terribly low score on Rotten Tomatoes, clocking in at just 27 percent on the Tomatometer.
The Idol stars Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn, a failing pop star who tries to reclaim her fame by becoming an overly sexualized, nasty pop girl. To help her ascend to fame, Abel Tesfaye, better known as the Canadian singer The Weeknd, enters her life and becomes one of her seemingly many romantic partners. As a nightclub impresario, he has lots of connections and guidance she needs, but he also exudes cult-like behavior that may get her and her career into some serious trouble.
In addition to the terrible score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Idol is getting slammed by critics and audiences for its excessive amount of sex, nudity, drugs, and portrayal of toxic masculinity. Some have even gone so far as to call it “sleazy” and described it as “torture porn.” Lily-Rose Depp defended the show, saying that she felt she was in control of her character and the show’s creation.
The Weeknd, Sam Levinson, and Reza Fahim worked together to create The Idol, with A24, Bron Creative, Little Lamb, and HBO Entertainment producing the TV series. Sam Levinson is known for creating the hit TV show Euphoria which also features its fair share of sex, nudity, drugs, and alcohol, but in a seemingly more tasteful way. There is definitely a right way to portray nudity and pop culture, but it seems like the creators missed the mark on this one based on the first reviews from critics.
Lily-Rose Depp hasn’t always been in such risqué films, but she typically does portray characters in dark films with horror undertones.
Her very first role was in Kevin Smith’s film 2014 Tusk, where she played Girl Clerk #2. Since then, her career has blossomed, landing her bigger roles in films like Voyagers, Silent Night, The Dancer, and Wolf. Up next, she will play Ellen Hunter in Nosferatu alongside big names Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bill Skarsgård, and Willem Dafoe.
While the reaction to Lily-Rose Depp’s TV show did not do well at the Cannes Film Festival, her father, Johnny Depp, received an incredible seven-minute standing ovation for his new film Jeanne du Barry. The French historical film follows the story of Jeanne Bécu (played by Maïwenn), who rose to the Court of Louis XV (played by Johnny Depp) despite her impoverished upbringing. This marks 99 projects that Johnny Depp has worked on, and it is his first on-screen appearance since his last role in the 2020 R-rated film Minamata.
When all six episodes of The Idol get released on HBO MAX on June 4, you can judge for yourself if it deserves a higher ranking on the Tomatometer.
