The Weeknd has an easy explanation for those reshoots on The Idol

Last we checked in on The Idol, Abel Tesfaye (a.k.a. The Weeknd) was utterly dismissive about rumors of chaos behind the scenes of the upcoming HBO series. “Maybe Rolling Stone is just mad because we called them irrelevant on the show” became the official position of the creator and star about that outlet’s report on the exit of director Amy Seimetz and subsequent strife. In a new W Magazine profile, Tesfaye has a little more to say.

According to W, “the emotional tango between Tedros (Tesfaye) and Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) was not as complex as what he and [Sam] Levinson had envisioned” in the first version of The Idol, so the singer decided to “pivot.” “Film and TV is a new creative muscle for me,” he told the outlet. “I don’t release my music until I think it is great. Why would this be any different?”

“Quitting the show wasn’t an option for Abel or me: It was a dream that we had together, and we had to see it through,” Euphoria creator Levinson added. The writer noted that he had the idea to film the show from Tesfaye’s actual house to bring down costs of the reshoot.

Reflecting on an instance where pulling double duty as his music character (The Weeknd) and his TV character (Tedros) caused him to lose his voice, 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 fucking horrible. I still know I did my absolute best.”

Tesfaye’s best was decried as “torture porn” and “rape fantasy” by some of those Rolling Stone sources, but an insider previously told The A.V. Club that “When you see the show you will understand these rumors are false.” As someone who has seen the show, Tesfaye opined to W that “the show is great.” However, he added, “Everything is a risk: When you’ve done the best you can, I would call that a happy ending.”