by The Weeknd has responded to the backlash against his first TV series after one Rolling Stone Report claimed that the production is a “shitshow”. The explosive report, published Wednesday, included 16 anonymous sources, many of whom report a turbulent creative process and questionable retakes and retakes on the HBO set. The idol.
“@RollingStone did we upset you?” the Weeknd wrote on Twitter.
The “Die for You” singer shared a clip from his character Tedros’ show with Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp) chatting with a character played by Dan Levy. In the clip, Levy, possibly playing a journalist or agent, encourages pop star Jocelyn to appear on a Rolling Stone cover.
“Rolling Rock? Aren’t they a bit irrelevant?” Tedros said.
Jocelyn then suggests that the magazine is “a little past its prime,” with Tedros adding, “No one cares about Rolling Stone.” Tedros also opens his phone to compare the magazine’s 6 million Instagram followers to Jocelyn’s 78 million.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to Rolling Stone for comment on the tweet and clip.
According to the Rolling Stone piece, many on set claimed the Weeknd and his co-creator Sam Levinson — known for creating Euphoria — revised the romantic drama in a controversial direction after director Amy Seimitz was fired for allegedly using a “feminist lens.”
In a statement to BuzzFeed News On Wednesday, HBO said they are excited for fans to see the series after a creative change that the creators felt was “in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew.”
“Its creators and producers The idol are working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and challenging original programming. The initial approach to airing and producing the first few episodes unfortunately did not meet HBO’s standards, so we chose to make a change,” HBO said in a statement to BuzzFeed News. “Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative and mutually respectful work environment.”
A source told Rolling Stone that Hollywood satire became “the thing it was satirizing.”
Another source described the new creative vision for the series as “any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have on the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.”
Reps for the Weeknd, Levinson, Depp and Seimetz have not responded to BuzzFeed News’ requests for comment on the report and HBO’s statement.
