The Weeknd says the controversial intercourse scene in 'The Idol' episode 2 was meant to be 'gross' amid viewer backlash: 'He comes off like such a loser'

• Warning: There are spoilers forward for episode two of HBO’s “The Idol.”
• Talking to GQ, The Weeknd mentioned the graphic scene featured in episode two was not imagined to be horny.
• Requested whether or not Tedros was “tossing these come-ons out off the highest of his head,” he mentioned: “Precisely.”

The Weeknd has clarified that the intercourse scene featured in episode two of “The Idol” was not imagined to be horny after it sparked controversy on-line.

The musician-turned-actor — going by his actual identify, Abel Tesfaye — cocreated the HBO collection along with his producing accomplice Reza Fahim and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson, and informed GQ in a brand new interview that the purpose with the scene was to make viewers uncomfortable. 

“There’s nothing horny about it,” he mentioned of the second between his character, a mysterious membership proprietor named Tedros, and Lily-Rose Depp’s emotionally weak pop star Jocelyn, which featured on the finish of the second episode on Sunday.

Whereas directing a half-naked Jocelyn to carry out numerous intercourse acts, Tedros, totally clothed and sat throughout the room, delivered a number of strains which have been torn apart from viewers, together with, “You appear to be a deal with,” “Think about my tongue in your pussy — my fats tongue,” and “Put your finger down your throat, make that throat moist for me.”

In response to the criticism, The Weeknd mentioned: “Nevertheless you feel watching that scene, whether or not it is discomfort, otherwise you really feel gross, otherwise you really feel embarrassed for the characters. It is all these feelings including as much as: this man is in means over his head, this example is one the place he isn’t imagined to be right here.”

Requested by the interviewer whether or not his character was “tossing these come-ons out off the highest of his head,” The Weeknd responded: “Precisely.”

“The intercourse, it is so gluttonous,” he continued. “‘Gluttony’ is the one phrase I can consider. He cannot consider he is there. He comes off like such a loser.”

“These moments are the humanity that you just discover in a psychopath, the chink in his armor,” he added.

Tesfaye added of his character: “He is despicable, a psychopath — why sugar coat it?”

“There’s nothing actually mysterious or hypnotizing about him. And we did that on function along with his look, his outfits, his hair — the man’s a douchebag,” he continued.

“You’ll be able to inform he cares a lot about what he seems like, and he thinks he seems good. However you then see these bizarre moments of him alone — he rehearses, he is calculated. And he wants to try this, or he has nothing. He is pathetic. Which is true of lots of people who’re a fish out of water, put into these situations.”

The star additionally pointed to the truth that the 1992 erotic thriller “Fundamental Intuition” — which Jocelyn watched in episode one — had been a reference level for them, calling the director Paul Verhoeven “the king of ’90s satire thriller.”

“Sure, there’s moments of ‘horny’ in his movies however there are different moments which can be very tacky and hilarious.”