Lily-Rose Depp is readying for the premiere of The Idol by spilling the tea on which pop singers influenced her role as Jocelyn on the forthcoming HBO series.
“Of course I’m a Britney [Spears] fan!” the Hollywood progeny told W magazine of the stars she was channeling during her audition for the series. “Who doesn’t love Britney? But I was also thinking about Beyoncé, Mariah [Carey], and every huge pop star of our time. I wanted Jocelyn to be the kind of woman who can dominate a room, someone who doesn’t ever shy away from their sparkle.”
Depp nabbed the role by singing an a cappella rendition of the 1950s standard “Fever,” as made famous by Peggy Lee and covered by Madonna in 1993 — which led to her filming for the series inside SoFi Stadium packed with 70,000 fans ahead of The Weeknd‘s Los Angeles concert last fall.
“I was a nervous wreck,” she said. “I was praying to all my guardian angels. I knew we only had two takes at SoFi. I felt like I was going to my wedding — I was so dolled up and in white!” However, she ultimately nailed the scene and later confessed, “It was quite addicting. I didn’t want to leave.”
The Weeknd, who originally pitched the concept of The Idol to HBO, will also star in the seedy musical drama along with Suzanna Son, Rachel Sennott, Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Hank Azaria, BLACKPINK’s Jennie and more. The show will also feature the likes of Hari Nef, Tyson Ritter of The All-American Rejects and the late Anne Heche.
Following extensive reshoots of the entire first season, The Idol is set to premiere June 4 on Max (previously HBO Max). Read Depp’s joint interview with The Weeknd here.
