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The following article contains spoilers from The Idol episode 2.
The second episode of The Idol introduced a soul-wrenching concept, something with which we are all too familiar, that is a pop star’s meltdown. Lily-Rose Depp – who plays the protagonist Jocelyn – has expressed sadness towards her character’s sufferings and trauma after she had a mental breakdown on set.
“Double Fantasy” features Jocelyn’s struggles to create her own music, because of the pressures created by living up to her previous album. It shows the challenges and lack of freedom a pop star faces to acquire their creative goals in an industry whose primary aim to is to attain commercial success and recognition by appealing to popular tastes. In a desperate attempt to get recognition and validation, she approaches club owner Tedros to help with the launch.
Speaking on the subject to Deadline, Depp mentioned how heartbreaking it was for her to shoot the scene that captures the acute emotional turmoil Jocelyn was undergoing after falling on the stage.
“It was heartbreaking to shoot because I have so much empathy for her. Even though at that point she is completely unable to go on, I think that it’s really hard for her to finally walk off that stage being in Jocelyn’s world, all of the moving parts of this machine that’s around her all the time, and how many people are depending on her, and how much pressure that can be.”
Showrunner Sam Levinson epitomized the episode, calling it an individual struggle, and how the excessive pressure caused by it can lead to ‘self-sabotaging.’
“She’s feeling creatively stuck and she starts to seek inspiration in some dark places. Part of what we’re exploring in Episode 2 is what happens when someone is so tough on themselves to the point where it becomes self sabotage.”
The episode’s summary and theme are reminiscent of some of the industry’s leading stars like Britney Spears and Katy Perry, saw their respective rise to fame and popularity interjected with highly-publicized downs born from the pressures created by the industry to adhere to popular demands, something The Idol definitely reflects.
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