Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye is saving his tears for another day after the negative reception to his HBO series, “The Idol.”
The singer, who co-created the show with Reza Fahim and “Euphoria” director Sam Levinson, claimed he “very much expected” the backlash from viewers.
“We’re playing with genres with this show, we’re doing exactly what we wanted to do,” he told Variety in an interview published Tuesday.
“And none of this is a surprise. I’m excited for everyone to watch the rest of the show.”
The Grammy winner stars opposite Lily-Rose Depp in the controversial drama about troubled pop star Jocelyn who gets involved with Tedros, a shady nightclub owner.
Tesfaye, 33, explained that one of his goals for the series was to give people a different perspective on fame.
“It’s almost educational, that this is what comes with being incredibly famous. You’re surrounded by people who you’re not sure what their true intentions are, even if it seems like they’re good. You just never know,” he told the outlet.
“But of course, I’ve been very fortunate to have people around me that I’ve known almost my entire life, which is important, and is a gift.”
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Following the show’s June 4 premiere, Tesfaye was blasted for his “comically bad” performance. Meanwhile, Variety described his acting skills as “nonexistent.”
“The Idol” has also been marred with “rape fantasy” accusations and criticized for excessive nudity and graphic sex scenes.
The “Blinding Lights” musician recently defended one such “gluttonous” scene between Jocelyn and Tedros in the second episode that left viewers disgusted.
“There’s nothing sexy about it,” he told GQ last week.
“However you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: this guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.”
“The Idol” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
