The singer, born Abel Tesfaye, confessed to The Guardian that the harsh reviews of the cancelled HBO series “makes a lot of sense.”
The Weeknd disclosed that The Idol was initially planned as a film before the pandemic shifted those plans. “Pandemic happened, theatres are not a thing any more at the time, television is the new god,” he explained.
The modifications didn’t stop there. What was meant to be a brief miniseries expanded to five episodes before getting axed. Reflecting on the experience, Tesfaye simply wanted to deliver a complete narrative.
“People cared about it, for sure,” he noted. “But I think it got to a point where everyone was trying to get to the finish line. You can’t force something, you’ve just got to let it be whatever it is, even if it’s half-baked.”
Rolling Stone senior investigations reporter Cheyenne Roundtree documented before the release date announcement that The Idol production had turned into a “shitshow.”
Amy Seimetz was initially set to direct the show, but co-creator Sam Levinson allegedly stepped in, completely reworking a “nearly finished” version of the series. This directional shift reportedly cost the network somewhere between $54 million and $75 million.
During a Variety interview published in January, Tesfaye looked back on the harsh criticism and appeared comfortable with the negativity that accompanies putting creative work into the public eye.
“Believe it or not, none of [the criticism] felt personal,” he shared. “Of course, it gets to you—I’m not saying I wasn’t affected by it; I’m saying I didn’t take it personally. Like, nobody’s out to get you, you know? I love reading criticism, even if some of it didn’t feel constructive. I’m not expecting everybody to love ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ either. Some people might hate it, but that’s not why I’m doing this. I’m doing it because I’m an artist; it’s how I feel, and this is what I want to say.”
In his conversation with The Guardian, Tesfaye recognizes the same principle applies to acting, stating, “You’ve got to pay your dues. But boy, did I pay my dues.”
