The Weekend defended his “despicable” character on the highly controversial HBO series “The Idol” after a graphic sex scene left viewers horrified.
“There’s nothing sexy about it,” the singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, told GQ Tuesday of the scene involving his character, a shady club mogul named Tedros.
“However you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: this guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”
The scene in question features Tedros in an uncomfortably hot and heavy moment with struggling pop star Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp.
At one point Tesfaye’s character told the pop icon to “f—kin’ stretch that tiny little p—y” while she put her fingers inside her mouth.
The “Blinding Lights” singer contended that the sex scene is portrayed in such a “gluttonous” way because Tedros, a mysterious club owner, “can’t believe he’s there.”
“You look at him, and this is a score — Jocelyn might be the biggest score he’s ever had. It’s very obvious,” he elaborated. “He’s over-indulging, he walks into this house looking around like, ‘Goddamn, am I way over my head? This can be the biggest job I’ve ever done.’”
While Tesfaye, 33, defended the sex scene’s graphic moments, the singer-turned-actor did agree that his character “comes off like such a loser.”
“He’s despicable, a psychopath — why sugarcoat it?” the “Starboy” singer stated. “There’s nothing really mysterious or hypnotizing about him. And we did that on purpose with his look, his outfits, his hair — the guy’s a douchebag.”
Sunday evening, viewers immediately took to Twitter to slam Tesfaye after the lewd scene aired, with one user calling the actor a “pervert.”
Another user wrote that they had “lost respect” for Tesfaye after watching the episode.
The second episode of Tesfaye’s show, which he co-created with “Euphoria’s” Sam Levinson, dropped in viewership by over 100,000 people.
Its June 4 premiere rang in at 913,000 viewers, but was later blasted by fans as “comically bad.”
As Pvnew previously reported in March, the TV drama was slammed by alleged cast and crew members as a “rape fantasy” prior to its release.
“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” one crew member told Rolling Stone.
Another told the magazine, “It was like, ‘What is this? What am I reading here?’ It was like sexual torture porn.”
However, HBO stood by Levinson’s creative direction in a statement provided to Pvnew.
“The creators and producers of ‘The Idol’ have been working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original programs,” the network said.
“The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change.
“Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing ‘The Idol’ with audiences soon.”
Depp, 24, has also kept a positive demeanor amid backlash from viewers for showing too much “breast” and “ass.”
“I love Abel so much,” she said during a post-premiere show breakdown. “He was able to melt into this role in a way that is really difficult for anybody to do.”
“The Idol” airs Sundays on HBO at 9 p.m. ET. and streams on Max.
