Lily-Rose Depp has insisted none of “The Idol” cast “lost their minds” when filming the hedonistic drama.
The 24-year-old actress, who plays ruthlessly ambitious singer Jocelyn in “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson’s latest shock series for HBO alongside singer The Weeknd, the 33-year-old whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, said the set was laid back and felt safe despite the series’ extreme sex, drink and drugs scenes.
Lily – Johnny Depp’s oldest child – told Entertainment Weekly: “I don't think anybody went full method – nobody lost their minds.”
But she admitted: “Well, sometimes when Abel would get – I don’t want to reveal too much about where Abel’s character goes, but when he would be in full Tedros mode sometimes, I would steer clear of him. I’d be like, ‘He’s in his zone right now.’”
The show sees Lily’s character Jocelyn – one of the most famous pop stars in the world whose career was derailed after she suffered a nervous breakdown triggered by her mom’s death – fight to make a comeback after meeting cult leader-style nightclub owner Tedros.
Lily added about the set’s easy dynamic: “For something that does, of course, explore darker themes and has some pretty heavy emotional moments to it and everything, the vibe on set was quite light-hearted.
“We’re all really good friends and we all are similar people and really understand each other.
“We were having a lot of laughs, listening to a lot of music, dancing around, and that kind of energy is what made the heavier moments easier and possible, because whenever you knew that there was a bigger, emotional scene coming up, you felt like you were surrounded by people that you feel comfortable with, people that have your back, and you feel that in the show.”
Lily previously defended the show’s explicit scenes and creator Levinson, 35, against accusations he has turned his new drama into “torture porn and a rape fantasy”, according to insiders who spoke to Rolling Stone for an exposé featuring anonymous interviews with those working on the series.
She said at the Cannes Film Festival about her rising singer star character: “Jocelyn is a born and bred performer – and I think that extends to every aspect of her life, not just her professional life … I also think that the occasional bareness of the character physically mirrors the bareness that we get to see emotionally in her.
“I was given the privilege of being really involved in the creation of this character and the ins and outs of how she expresses herself.”