Is Lily-Rose Depp in The Idol based on Britney Spears?
Despite its mixed reviews, HBO's The Idol has hooked fans and even led them to draw parallels between the lives of real pop stars and the show's storyline. But is the series based on a true story?
On 4 June, the new Sam Levinson series introduced Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn, a rising pop star who embarks on a romance with Tedros, an enigmatic Los Angeles club owner and underground cult leader portrayed by Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye.
While the show initially grabbed attention due to rumored controversies behind the scenes, including reports of a toxic set environment and creative clashes, recent discussions have focused on whether the series takes inspiration from the lives of real celebrities like Britney Spears.
Although the cast and creators have acknowledged drawing from their own experiences in Hollywood's music industry to shape the characters, they have been clear that the series is not a direct biopic centered around a specific individual. Nevertheless, fans have been quick to notice similarities to real-life events throughout the series, further fueling speculation.
While the show subtly references Britney Spears, with nods like featuring a remix of Gimme More in the trailer and drawing makeup inspiration from her late-'90s look for Jocelyn's character in earlier episodes, Sam emphasises that the show isn’t Britney’s story.
He said at theCannes film festival: “we're not trying to tell a story about any particular pop star. I think we're looking more at how the world perceives pop stars, and the pressure that it puts on that individual. It's a lot of pressure to constantly have to be on, and to have to be what everyone wishes you to be. I also think that it's a lonely life."
Lily-Rose Depp added: “We’re not telling anyone else’s story,” noting that they wanted Jocelyn to “feel simultaneously like a pop star of our time, but one that is in her own plane.”
There is, however, an important connection between Britney and the co-creators of the show, however, which has further fueled speculation that the series took some inspiration from her journey to fame.
In March 2022, Britney complimented Sam's work, describing his HBO show Euphoria as "amazing”. Two months later, Britney shared a short video of herself hanging out with Sam and The Weeknd, with the Blinding Lights singer leaving a comment on the post with a red heart emoji.
Speaking at The Idol’s Cannes Film Festival press conference, The Weeknd explained: “We initially wanted to make a dark, twisted fairy tale with the music industry and everything I know about it and heighten it, and take inspirations from films that both me and Sam love — it was really our love for music.”
He continued: “When I found out how much Sam is involved in the music in Euphoria and getting to work with him on the music on the show, that’s when it unlocked it for us. Can we create our own pop star? Can we create somebody who is trying to find themselves, using my experiences, using his experiences, using Lily’s experiences … creating something special, daring and exciting and fun that will make people laugh [and] piss some people off?”
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