A Look At Sam Levinson And The Weeknd's "Misogynistic" Behavior, Reportedly Made HBO's 'The Idol' Into "Torture Porn"

*This article is intended for readers 18 and older.*

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and The Weeknd are facing backlash for their "misogyny" after Rolling Stones published an article detailing their disturbing direction with The Idol. The Idol, starring Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd, was a highly-anticipated HBO series often compared to the hit show Euphoria.

Rolling Stone's report went behind the scenes and gathered information from anonymous sources involved in the production who described the set as "chaotic" due to Levinson's direction. "I would never work for him ever again," one of the sources reveals. "I don’t think I’ll watch Euphoria again after working for him and knowing how he treats his crew."

Another anonymous source claims, "This was such a strong example of just how far [Levinson] can really push HBO, and they will continue to cover [him] because he brings in money." They continue, "He’s able to walk away unscathed, and everybody still wants to work with him… People ignore the red flags and follow him regardless."

Director Amy Seimetz, who was originally involved in the production of The Idol, allegedly left the picture after a "shakeup" that required an adjustment to the existing cast and crew. Abel Tesfaye – The Weeknd's real name – was a co-creator of the show, but felt it was "heading too much into a female perspective." It seems the script went downhill following Seimetz's exit.

It was like sexual torture porn.

According to several production sources, Levinson began chipping away at the series' "original messaging," which created a "distorted and jarring story that lost its overall impact." It was "a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it.” 

Sam Levinson and The Weeknd's Direction with The Idol Turned into "Torture Porn"

Levinson's script contained violent scenes and disturbing sexual content between Depp's and Tesfaye's characters. One scene (which was never shot, according to the source) reportedly had Tesfaye bash in Depp's face while her character smiles and begs for more, giving her counterpart an erection. Another proposed idea was for Depp to have an egg in her vagina – and if she cracked or dropped it, Tesfaye would then refuse to "rape" her, prompting Depp to beg him to "rape" her. A source claims that this was never shot since there was no way for Depp to physically insert the egg, making the scene unrealistic.

It turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it. 

“It was like, ‘What is this? What am I reading here?’" Rolling Stones' source recalls. "It was like sexual torture porn." Seimetz's version was going to include sex scenes and nudity as well, but Levinson allegedly "ramped up the explicit content," a move that's reminiscent of the direction he took with Euphoria. Actresses of the highly popular show – Sydney Sweeney and Minka Kelly – have admitted that they were a bit hesitant when it came to Levinson's suggestions for more nudity. "There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless, and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘OK, we don’t need it,’" Sweeney informed The Independent. 

Sam Levinson and The Weeknd Called Out for Misogyny

Now users are angered by Levinson's and The Weeknd's reported "misogynistic" behavior on set. "The Weeknd is disgusting. The fact that he and Sam Levinson actively changed the direction to make it less female-centric and more about a man’s r*PE fantasy shows that you can make good music and still be a misogynistic pig," tweets @ElaElmiche. "I hope y’all re-evaluate supporting his music."

"i knew this show was (borderline) misogynistic when the weeknd and sam levinson decided to reshoot the whole thing bc it had too much of a 'female perspective,'" adds @nfrismybible. 

"Everyone rightfully getting on Sam levinson but we have to also put the blame on the weeknd for making room for him to do this," says @blkcomictwit. "None of this would have happened if Abel didn’t fire the female director cause he didn’t like the fact the show focused on the 'female perspective.'"

Sam Levinsons' Disturbing History of Portraying Sexualized Teens

Are we surprised? Levinson has always seemed obsessed with sexualizing teenagers – believe it or not, Euphoria is not his first rodeo when it comes to portraying minors as sexual deviants. In his 2018 film Assassination Nation – which, surprise, is about a group of teenage girls – one of the underage characters gives a monologue to her high school principal (who was later discovered in the movie to be a pedophile). The character said: 

“All you're looking at is the nudity, but this isn't about that. This isn't about the sex or the porn or even being naked. This is about everything that goes into it. The pressure. The endless mindf***. The 10,000 naked selfies you took before this one, trying to get it just right. Trying to make sure the light hides your left nipple because it's slightly inverted or it's smaller or maybe your labia's too big, but if you pull your pelvic bone up, and bend to the left slightly in a low-light setting... then you will be beautiful. Hashtag flawless. Body confident. But it's all one big lie you can never be because nobody's flawless, and all it takes is one f***ing a-hole to remind you of that. One guy to say 'lol' or 'she's nasty' and you're right back at square one. So yeah, maybe it is explicit or extreme, but it sure as hell looks like life to me.”

Let’s not forget Levinson’s portrayal of Cassie, a character with nude and sex scenes who frequently showed her trauma on screen. Levinson also hired a pornstar Chloe Cherry and reportedly wanted her nude on her first day on set. Oh, and the director apparently wanted her covered in fake blood too. Cherry said, "We just met and said, ‘Hey, how are you?’ and then shot the scene. It probably would’ve been more comfortable had we had a little more time to know each other. Sam wanted to do the scene with me completely naked and Tyler was like, ‘That’s a lot,’ so they decided not to."

Closing Thoughts

The latest news on Levinson shows us the misogynistic side of Hollywood, and directors’ tendencies to take advantage of young women. Rolling Stones may have only scratched the surface regarding Levinson's behavior – in an industry where women seem more oppressed than men, I wonder how many of his colleagues have stayed silent out of fear of being blacklisted.

Love Evie? Sign up for our newsletter and get curated content weekly!