Johnny Depp is ‘proud of’ daughter Lily-Rose for landing her scandalous role in ‘torture porn’ series The Idol – and believes the heated controversy surrounding the series, which saw her go topless and a filmed a scandalous masturbation scene, too, is a sign she’s “doing something right.”
The 24-year-old actress stars in the latest HBO show as singer Jocelyn, who suffered a nervous breakdown on tour before meeting mysterious nightclub impresario Tedros – played by The Weeknd.
The sexually charged series, which includes masturbation, choking and explicit selfies by Lily-Rose, drew criticism as viewers claimed creator Sam Levinson turned it into “torture porn and a rape fantasy.”
But despite the backlash, a source close to Johnny told that he was unimpressed and instead “believes she did something right to garner so much attention”.
Johnny Depp is “proud of” daughter Lily-Rose for taking on a controversial role in ‘The Idol,’ can exclusively reveal
The 24-year-old actress takes center stage on the HBO show as a singer who suffered a nervous breakdown before meeting mysterious nightclub impresario Tedros – played by The Weeknd
The sexually charged series, which includes masturbation, choking and explicit selfies by Lily-Rose, has been criticized for claims that Sam Levinson made it “torture porn”.
The source told : “Johnny loves that Lily is building a career of her own and challenging herself to take on roles that interest and test her.”
“He loves that she is her own person and becomes her own actress.” She doesn’t rest her career on success.
“He loves that she’s such a strong person, especially now that she’s garnered additional attention with her recent role on The Idol.”
“He’s proud of her and doesn’t add to the extra chatter and drama that the role brings.”
“He thinks that since the role is getting so much attention, she must be doing something right and he’s proud of her success.”
A spokesman for Johnny declined to comment.
The show contains several explicit scenes – with a particular sexual encounter involving a knife ending with Tedros nearly strangling Jocelyn.
When asked if The Idol’s treatment of female sexuality went too far, Levinson, best known as the writer of the hyper-explicit teen drama series Euphoria, replied: “We live in a very sexualized world, especially in the USA – the influence of porn is big.” strong and in the psyche of young people.”
The show contains several explicit scenes – with a particular sexual encounter involving a knife ending with Tedros nearly strangling Jocelyn
Lily-Rose herself previously defended the show and its creator after members of the crew spoke anonymously to Rolling Stone about an article saying Sam took the show’s nudity, sex and violence to exploitative levels increased.
She told E! News in a statement, “Sam is the best director I’ve ever worked with for so many reasons.”
“Never have I felt more supported and respected in a creative environment, my contributions and opinions were more valued.”
“Working with Sam is a true collaboration in every way – he cares more than anything, not just what his actors think of the work, but how we feel about the performance.”
“He hires people whose work he values and has consistently created an environment where I have felt seen, heard and valued.”
Lily-Rose also recently told People that raunchyness is “very important” to the portrayal of her would-be singer.
But the series was branded “toxic” and “disturbing” in the first wave of reviews from both critics and viewers, as many questioned why Lily-Rose Depp’s character was “always fully nude.”
An article penned by The Hollywood Reporter’s Lovia Gyarkye dubbed the upcoming drama “more regressive than transgressive” in a disappointing verdict.
When asked if The Idol’s treatment of female sexuality went too far, the filmmaker replied, “We live in a very sexualized world, especially in the US – the influence of porn is strong and in young people’s psyches anchored.”
The review detailed how HBO attempted to amplify the sexual excesses in marketing the series by promoting the “sick and twisted minds” of Levinson and The Weeknd.
It also criticized the “gratuitous” display of nudity for Lily’s character Jocelyn, adding, “Rarely does a scene go by without the camera showing flashes of her breasts or cock.”
Meanwhile, Variety spoke out about some of the show’s “controversial” sexual portrayals, claiming “The Idol” “scandalized” Cannes when it premiered.
Critics Matt Donnelly and Zack Sharf wrote, “Revenge porn photos of bodily fluids on Depp’s face, masturbation with ice cubes, con artists who own nightclubs, and vile Hollywood toadlicks populated the first two episodes of the already controversial series.”
Deadline also referenced previous controversies surrounding the series, criticizing Cannes for “getting attention” by premiering an HBO show at the prestigious film festival.