‘The Idol’ Co-Creator Sam Levinson Convinced The Weeknd To Play A Star With ‘None Of The Talent’

etcanada.com:

Sam Levinson reveals how he managed to convince The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, to play as creep on “The Idol”.

The Max show has got the internet talking with Tesfaye’s disturbing portrayal of a cult leader cum self-help guru in the show.

Levinson, who was also the creative mind behind “Euphoria”, says he managed to convince the musician to take the role by selling it in a specific way. READ MORE: TV Intimacy Coordinator Analyzes ‘The Idol”s Premiere Episode, Says It Depicts ‘Accurate Pushback’ On Set But ‘Felt Betrayed They Made Fun Of Us’ “We’re in Abel’s house, we’re talking it through, imagining the character Tedros,” Levinson said in the series’ “Crafting the Family” featurette on Max, via Variety. “And I would say, ‘Imagine you have all of the dreams that you have of what you want to do in life, in terms of music, and your career, all of the aspirations — but imagine you have none of the talent.

That’s who this character is.’” Tesfaye described the character similarly in an interview with GQ where he called the character “calculated”. READ MORE: The Weeknd Responds To Backlash Surrounding That Graphic ‘The Idol’ Sex Scene “There’s nothing really mysterious or hypnotizing about him,” he explained. “And we did that on purpose with his look, his outfits, his hair — the guy’s a douchebag.