Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival (France) in May, The Idol Controversial over inappropriate, even vulgar, depictions of pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) being ensnared by nightclub owner and mysterious cult leader Tedros (The Weeknd) ).
In the final 10 minutes of episode 2, viewers see the love scene between Jocelyn and Tedros. More specifically, the female lead indulges herself with a red scarf wrapped around her head, while the male lead – fully clothed – stimulates the female idol with obscene words. As the two began to rush into each other, the camera changed direction. At the end of the scene, Lily-Rose Depp is topless and The Weeknd is still fully clothed.
![The movie with Jennie (BlackPink) lost 100,000 viewers because of the worst sex scene in history - Photo 1. The movie with Jennie (BlackPink) lost 100,000 viewers because of the worst sex scene in history - Photo 1.](https://gamek.mediacdn.vn/133514250583805952/2023/6/14/photo-3-16867174784381940924020-1686727527867-16867275280981346980910.jpg)
The sex scene of Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd in episode 2 of The Idol was criticized as the worst in history (Image: Daily Mail)
English GQ Called it “the worst sex scene in history”. Popular magazine reviews at its best, on-screen sex gives viewers a vibrating, sensual experience from which to understand the emotions of characters, from those who are infatuated with love or lust to Expressing vulnerability in the moment of sharing privacy with others. However, The Idol fails to create that effect, on the contrary turns sex into a performance in which women are always the main characters.
According to English GQ, the film makes no sense without a real explanation for why Jocelyn wants to get close to Tedros, let alone be captivated and driven by the male lead’s incomprehensible monologues. From what’s shown on the screen, the most logical interpretation is that the film only wants to satisfy men’s sexual fantasies, while at the same time conveying to viewers that women really like to be taken advantage of.
Not only professionals, the audience also cannot accept the most daring “sex” scene in episode 2 of The Idol. Sheet Variety revealed that the latest episode aired on June 11 had 800,000 viewers on the same day on Max and HBO, down more than 100,000 compared to the previous episode. The first episode, which aired on June 4, attracted 913,000 viewers, but was later called “funnyly lousy” by fans.
Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of HBO and Max, said the streaming figures for the two episodes were “nearly equal”. In that case, 12% of the audience lost were TV viewers.
On social media platforms, netizens commented that Jocelyn and Tedros’ sex scenes were both funny, silly and scary. One fan compared the film to junk and advised The Weeknd to focus solely on the music. This comment received over 900 Likes from other netizens.
Worse, many viewers criticized Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd’s real name) as a “pervert”. They claim to have lost respect for the male singer.
![The movie with Jennie (BlackPink) lost 100,000 viewers because of the worst sex scene in history - Photo 2. The movie with Jennie (BlackPink) lost 100,000 viewers because of the worst sex scene in history - Photo 2.](https://gamek.mediacdn.vn/133514250583805952/2023/6/14/photo-2-16867174774511870782636-1686727528854-16867275289451840714372.jpg)
Viewers did not understand why Jocelyn fell in love with Tedros so quickly (Photo: The Idol)
The Weeknd speaks out
On June 13, The Weeknd defended his character in the movie 18+ in an interview with GQ.
He stated that the purpose of the sex scene in the second episode is not to create an emotional moment of sex as people think.
“There is nothing sexy about it. However, you all have a certain feeling when you watch the scene, whether it’s a feeling of discomfort, disgust, or shame for the characters. All of those feelings add up: this guy is getting out of control, this is a situation where he’s not allowed to be here,” the vocalist. Blinding Lights speak.
He explained the sex scene depicted in such a “gluttony” way because Tedros couldn’t believe he could find “prey” as valuable as Jocelyn, even set foot in her house and do other things. spoiled with her.
“If it’s scored, Jocelyn could be the biggest score he’s ever had. That is not debatable. He’s too forgiving. When he entered the house and looked around, he thought what was going on was beyond his mind and this could be the biggest mission he has ever done,” the singer analyzed human psychology. object.
The Weeknd also admitted that his character appears to be a loser. “He is despicable, a psychopath. So why paint him? There’s nothing really mysterious or magical about him. We intentionally expose it with our looks, our clothes, our hair. He’s an asshole,” the Canadian star concluded.
![The movie with Jennie (BlackPink) lost 100,000 viewers because of the worst sex scene in history - Photo 3. The movie with Jennie (BlackPink) lost 100,000 viewers because of the worst sex scene in history - Photo 3.](https://gamek.mediacdn.vn/133514250583805952/2023/6/14/photo-1-168671747647125465367-1686727529865-16867275299441286859274.jpg)
The Weeknd self-identifies that his character is an asshole, so it is impossible for a hot scene to bring emotional and sexy emotions (Photo: The Idol)
According to Daily Mail, GQ UK, Page Six