Lily-Rose Depp is standing up for Sam Levinson and their collaboration on HBO’s “The Idol.”
During an appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Depp defended Levinson against the backlash for his one-season HBO drama “The Idol,” which was panned by critics and viewers alike. Depp, who starred in the series as up-and-coming pop star Jocelyn, said Levinson “always knew it was going to be controversial” but carried on since he is “interested in that kind of work.”
“I think the thing that sucked about that was to have people talking shit about Sam [Levinson], who is a great friend of mine and somebody that I consider family,” Depp said. “I’m super close with him and Ashley — his wife who’s a producer on the show — and they are such wonderful people, so incredible, so kind, and really kind of took me under their wing in a way.”
Despite the show’s poor reception and the negative press following the sudden departure of director Amy Seimetz, Depp said the only bad part of the experience was “people talking negatively about [Sam Levinson] because the things that they said about him, particularly, as a filmmaker, just couldn’t be further from the truth than from, at least, my experience working with him. So that sucks. You just never want to hear people talking shit about your friend.”
Depp went on to say that she personally “loved” the show and her character and felt proud she remained “steadfast” in the face of criticism. “That was a period in my life where I feel like I learned so much,” Depp said. “I was pushed so far out of my comfort zone, in the most beautiful way, and it gave me so much growth that I will always look back on that as one of the most special times of my life.”
“The Idol” followed Depp’s Jocelyn who becomes romantically involved with a shady self-help guru (The Weekend) after a nervous breakdown sidetracks her career. After extensive reshoots and the exit of Seimetz, the episode order of “The Idol” was reduced to five and news of the show’s cancellation shortly followed.
