The Weeknd defends new show 'The Idol' from characterization that 'these are rapists trying to make a rape fantasy'

With The Idol premiere weeks away, fans will soon judge for themselves whether the Weeknd's buzzy new show is really "torture porn." But in the meantime, the megastar will continue to defend his passion project after a Rolling Stone report claimed the series "has gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails."

"I thought the article was ridiculous," the Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, told Vanity Fair of the exposé. "I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it." (The "Blinding Lights" singer responded by posting a clip from The Idol in which he and Lily-Rose Depp's characters call the publication irrelevant.)

The Rolling Stone report featured interviews with 13 people who worked on The Idol, all of whom remained anonymous. Sources claimed Tesfaye and his co-creator, Euphoria's Sam Levinson, created an offensive, degrading love story when they went back to reshoot the series as they were unhappy with how it turned out. "It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show," one person alleged, "and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better."

Depp plays pop star Jocelyn in the HBO show who gets involved with Tesfaye's character Tedros, a modern-day cult leader and self-help guru who becomes entangled in her career.

Tesfaye was offended by what he considered the subtext of the Rolling Stone article to be — "These are rapists trying to make a rape fantasy" — and found it an attack on his character. He said The Idol is funnier than lead up articles make it seem, something Depp echoed.

"What makes it work is its sense of humor," she told the magazine. The journalist included a portion of the show's premiere episode:

Tesfaye also hit back at a Deadline report that claimed he and Levinson decided to reshoot The Idol because it leaned too much into a "female perspective" under its original director, Amy Seimetz.

"I actually really loved working with Amy," the musician explained, "and I'm sure she's reading all this being like, 'Why am I being thrown into this?'" He cited scheduling issues with Seimetz as to why she wasn't involved in The Idol 2.0. (A rep said Seimetz couldn't be reached for comment.)

Levinson took control amid the creative overhaul even moving his family into Tesfaye's home as they reworked the script. "HBO had dedicated a tremendous amount of autonomy and financial resources to the show," Levinson told Vanity Fair via email, "and it wasn't working."

Tesfaye dismissed the narrative he felt the show centered around Depp's character too much calling her the project's third creator.

"I know it's easy for people to be like, 'Oh, he wanted to be the star," he explained, adding that he was hesitant to even play Tedros until Levinson and others convinced him.

Depp has stood by both her co-star and Levinson amid anonymous criticism and did so again to Vanity Fair: "I really and truly have never felt more like my opinions and my ideas or my input was more valued."

The actress added, "I think it's interesting that people have so much to say about the show already and they haven't even seen it."

But Tesfaye isn't trying to paint the picture that The Idol is a happy love story. "I mean, this isn't a secret," he shared. "Hollywood is a dark place. Which makes for great art."