Sam Levinson and Lily-Rose Depp said that Depp’s character had several sources of inspiration, despite the show making a reference to Britney Spears.
The Idol, which is set to premiere on Max June 4, might become the biggest hit series of the summer, not necessarily because it’s a great show, but because of the curiosity and drama surrounding it.
The show, which just premiered this week at Cannes (and has since been mercilessly ridiculed by many of the critics who watched it) is about a pop star named Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp, who tries to reinvent herself after having a nervous breakdown with the help of Tedros, a club owner and manager played by The Weeknd.
The show’s first episode makes reference to Britney Spears, a pop star known for her own breakdown and subsequent mental health struggles, which may cause many to wonder whether Jocelyn is a stand-in for Spears herself.
At a press junket in Cannes, The Idol‘s co-creator, Sam Levinson, said that the inspiration for the show was more about the media coverage of Britney that inspired him, rather than Britney herself.
“[Britney]’s one of the greatest pop stars of all time,” Levinson said, per Entertainment Weekly.
