Photo:Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Lily-Rose Deppis looking atThe Idolthrough a creative lens that differs from recent HBO critics.
As musicianAbel “The Weeknd” TesfayeandEuphoriacreator Sam Levinson’s latest project receives reviews of ultra-lust (likeThe Wrap’sdeclaration the series is “luxury sleaze”), Depp, 23, deep dives into her character — the wannabe popstar, Jocelyn.
“I think that something about Jocelyn is just that she’s a born and bred performer,” she said at a Cannes Film Festival press conference for the series. “I think that extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life. I think that the way that she dresses, for example, is her trying to tell you something all the time or say something to the people that she’s around or express herself in some kind of way.”
Depp continued, “And I also think that the occasional bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness that we get to see emotionally in her.”
HBO
For director Levinson, Jocelyn is a reflection of American culture — particularly the influence of pornography on the “psyche of young people.”
“It’s funny, I think that sometimes things that might be revolutionary are taken too far,” Levinson also told reporters at the press conference. “I think we live in a very sexualized world.”
Levinson continued, “We see this in pop music and how it reflects the underbelly of the internet in some ways. I think that with this show and working with Lily, we had a lot of discussions about who she is as a person, who Jocelyn is as a person, and what she’s feeling, what she’s angling, who she’s playing to."
So, Jocelyn embodies a few things — the idea of a feminine self, as well as the public outcry that comes when a woman embraces her physicality.
“There’s two things that happen, when you have a character that has such a strong sense of self and such a strong sexual sense, is you simultaneously end up underestimating her,” Levinson said. “Because you’re not quite sure. ‘Well, why is she doing this? Why is she wearing this? Why is she singing about this?'”
“And at the same time, it’s also what alerts people, it’s what attracts an audience,” he added. “It’s what attracts an imagination. And I think it’s very true to what almost every pop star is doing these days.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Idolpremiered at Cannes Film Festival but will be available for the public to view on HBO and Max starting June 4.
source: people.com
