Did The Idol Backlash Actually Hurt The Weeknd's Career?
It looks like Abel shot himself in the leg with his HBO show.
Though Sam Levinson and The Weeknd's The Idol has become the most talked-about project of the year, the HBO show has failed to generate any kind of positive buzz since its premiere earlier this month. The story of rising pop star Jocelyn being corrupted by sleazy cult leader Tedros looked great on paper but failed to appeal to audiences on-screen, and people have lambased the show for featuring too much violence and excessive nudity instead of exploring the dark corners of the music industry and how it can crash young artists.
As one of the creators and lead actors on The Idol, Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd is closely linked to the show, and many fans are wondering if the singer's career may suffer because of his involvement in the project.
Before and shortly after The Idol's premiere, some of the more puritanical viewers and critics tried to have The Weeknd canceled because of the shocking nature of the project, but those attempts fortunately proved futile.
Although the series may be hard to watch because of all the explicit content and violence it depicts, this doesn't give the public an adequate enough reason to cancel the star. However, it looks like The Weeknd's career might still be in turmoil because of his performance on the show.
While The Idol is hated for many things, lots of people still praise the great acting by the show's stars Lily-Rose Depp, Troye Sivan, and Hank Azaria — and even the series' biggest naysayers must admit, these three look amazing in their roles.
As for Tesfaye, however, his portrayal of cult leader Tedros makes most fans feel nothing but cringey, as the star seems incapable of making his character radiate any kind of danger.
Because of The Weeknd's poor acting, the whole show started to look like a vanity project for the pop star, forcing people to hate it even more.
However, the singer is not ready to say goodbye to his dreams of Hollywood stardom. The Weeknd's new untitled movie, directed by the great Trey Edward Shults and starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, is apparently already in post-production, leaving fans to wonder if he will fix his sloppy acting while working with such great performers.
The Idol Episode 5 will air on HBO on July 2, 2023.