The Weeknd Responds To “The Idol” Backlash Over Certain Scenes
The Weeknd is responding to critics who call his sex scene in HBO’s “The Idol” “torture porn,” he is calling it “gluttonous.”
The Weeknd, also known as Abel Tesfaye, says Basic Instinct and filmmaker Paul Verhoeven were used as a reference points. Verhoeven was known for blending graphic violence and sexual content with social satire.
“However you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters,” Tesfaye tells GQ. “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.”
Tesfaye explains that his character (Tedros) is “in way over his head” and says, ‘Gluttony’ is the only word I can think of [to describe it]. He can’t believe he’s there.”
