Lily-Rose Depp isn't interested in playing it safe.
The actress, who stars in HBO's The Idol alongside The Weeknd—whose real name is Abel Tesfaye—is defending the series' sex scenes ahead of its 2023 premiere.
"I'm not interested in making anything puritanical," she told Elle in a cover story published Nov. 16. "I'm not interested in making anything that doesn't challenge me, or challenge other people, honestly. I think this show is fearless, and that's something that I've been really excited and proud to dive into. I can't wait for you guys to see it."
The series focuses on Depp's Jocelyn, an up-and-coming pop star who becomes entangled with complicated self-help guru Tedros, played by The Weeknd. In the trailer, which was released Oct. 6, Jocelyn promises to own her sexuality, telling a friend played by Da'Vine Joy Randolph that she'll "look at the camera and f--k everyone in America." She and Tedros than begin an intimate relationship, with Tedros telling her that he needs "full control."
But despite the NSFW nature of the show, Depp revealed that both her costar and the series' director, Sam Levinson—who are both co-creators on the series—have made her feel "incredibly safe and protected."
"I think it's difficult to do this kind of work that can be so vulnerable in so many different ways," she said, "If you don't have a lot of trust between you and your collaborators."
The ensemble cast of the series also includes Dan Levy, Troye Sivan, Jane Adams, Jennie and Rachel Sennott—the later of whom Depp said she "f--king loves," along with the rest of the actors.
"It's rare for a group of people who don't know each other and who are all different ages and from different walks of life to mesh so well," she noted. "Everybody's energy really clicked."
The Idol premieres in 2023 on HBO.