In addition, he shares the experience of having the cast and crew stay in his home during filming.
Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye has opened up about the sacrifices made to create and reshoot his and Sam Levinson's forthcoming HBO series, The Idol.
In a recent interview with W Magazine, he revealed that losing his voice allowed him to reflect on his creative process and caused them to reshoot the series. Tesfaye said, "I realized that I need to know that I've made the best version of whatever I'm making. It was a challenge to redo The Idol, and, in truth, I sacrificed my health and home to make it work. So, let's say it comes out and it's horrible. I still know I did my absolute best." Despite the risks, he's confident that the show is great and that he's achieved a happy ending.
Tesfaye also revealed that Levinson, his wife, their five-year-old son, newborn, and a giant schnauzer, plus the cast and crew "essentially moved into Tesfaye's house" during the creation of the series. The Weeknd's bedrooms turned into green rooms, his bathrooms became hair and makeup rooms, and a music studio was built in the basement so that Mike Dean, who co-stars, could co-compose the score while filming. Tesfaye had to stay in character and lived in another house with his dog. He noted that it "was weird when they all left" and that the furniture was changed, but the soul of Jocelyn's house is still intact.
The Idol premieres on HBO Max on June 4th.
