Following reports of behind-the-scenes drama with his role as star and co-creator of HBO‘s The Idol, Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye took a less hands-on approach to his latest project.
The Hurry Up Tomorrow star praised director Trey Edward Shults for taking the helm and letting him “just focus on performing” in the upcoming musical psychological thriller, which premieres Friday in theaters.
“I wanted to do my job as an actor,” he told Fader. “So, make my piece with the idea, with the script, give whatever notes I have to give, but essentially it being [Shults’] film, where I give him the material, he makes the movie he wants to make, and I get to just focus on being an actor and not give a f— about what’s going on behind the scenes.”
Tesfaye added, “He made it easy for me. I always make this joke; Trey’s like a cat when he directs. … He really doesn’t want to get in the way of whatever is happening in front of the camera, and it was just a smoother process. I got to just focus on performing and doing what I do in front of the camera, and stay in it, just stay in in the role.”
Co-written by Shults, Tesfaye and The Idol collaborator Reza Fahim, Hurry Up Tomorrow stars the 4x Grammy winner as a musician plagued by insomnia, who is pulled into an odyssey with a stranger, which begins to unravel the very core of his existence. The film also stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye and writer/director Trey Edward Shults on the set of ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ (Andrew Cooper)
Tesfaye’s latest role comes after 2023’s The Idol, co-created with Fahim and Sam Levinson, was canceled following extensive reshoots following the departure of director Amy Seimetz, as revealed by Deadline in April 2022. The show also suffered a reduced order taking its total number of episodes to five. By the time the final episode aired, the overwhelming sentiment around the show was negative.
