On the surface the The Idol is about a beautiful young pop star who falls so hard for the Weeknd that she eagerly turns her creative life over to him.
But the real drama we're watching is about Sam Levinson himself- the Hollywood figure who *really* fell into such a creative infatuation with the Weeknd that he pushed out his original directing partner, Amy Seimetz, in order invite in HIS new 'idol' to take total control of their work. Exactly as Jocelyn cedes all decisions about her album in the fictional version, the real-life Levinson let Tesfaye take their almost-completed show and entirely remake it in his own grandiose self-image.
I don't know whether there were any hair brushes involved, or whether the Weeknd told Levinson he was moving in quite that fast, but by all appearances the dynamics of submission and dominance between the two of them (in the show running realm, I mean...), was no less total that the dime store 50 shades relationship we witness between the two main characters on screen.
Down side: unfortunately, just as the Tedros character is no musician, Tesfaye is no creator, writer, or - least of all - actor. So the end result, as we've seen all too painfully, turns out to be absolutely awful. I guess that's what happens to artists and their work when they join a cult. Hopefully it's a lesson learned.
So in the end, I guess it's true that the Idol is meta- just not in the way that it thought it was going to be: it's really the tragic, unintentionally autobiographical tale of what happens when a 38 year old creator/director falls under the sway of a cult of personality he just doesn't have the strength to resist.
Come to think of it, maybe Sam should have played the part of Jocelyn himself. He and the Weeknd could've made their acting debuts together and instead of being all cringey and awkward and amateurish at every moment, the whole thing would've felt super "real," just like they wanted.
But the real drama we're watching is about Sam Levinson himself- the Hollywood figure who *really* fell into such a creative infatuation with the Weeknd that he pushed out his original directing partner, Amy Seimetz, in order invite in HIS new 'idol' to take total control of their work. Exactly as Jocelyn cedes all decisions about her album in the fictional version, the real-life Levinson let Tesfaye take their almost-completed show and entirely remake it in his own grandiose self-image.
I don't know whether there were any hair brushes involved, or whether the Weeknd told Levinson he was moving in quite that fast, but by all appearances the dynamics of submission and dominance between the two of them (in the show running realm, I mean...), was no less total that the dime store 50 shades relationship we witness between the two main characters on screen.
Down side: unfortunately, just as the Tedros character is no musician, Tesfaye is no creator, writer, or - least of all - actor. So the end result, as we've seen all too painfully, turns out to be absolutely awful. I guess that's what happens to artists and their work when they join a cult. Hopefully it's a lesson learned.
So in the end, I guess it's true that the Idol is meta- just not in the way that it thought it was going to be: it's really the tragic, unintentionally autobiographical tale of what happens when a 38 year old creator/director falls under the sway of a cult of personality he just doesn't have the strength to resist.
Come to think of it, maybe Sam should have played the part of Jocelyn himself. He and the Weeknd could've made their acting debuts together and instead of being all cringey and awkward and amateurish at every moment, the whole thing would've felt super "real," just like they wanted.