‘The Idol’ Actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph Denies Reports of Chaos on Set: ‘There Was Actually More Care’
Da’Vine Joy Randolph denied reports of chaos on the set of “The Idol,” noting that there was “actually more care” while filming HBO drama series due to its mature subject matter.
“I didn’t have that experience at all,” Randolph told TheWrap, adding that “Rumors fly.” “If I witnessed it being chaotic, I wouldn’t be a part of it … if that was the case, the way I’m built, I would have been like, ‘Oh, no, no, no, this is not for me.'”
Randolph’s comments come months after Rolling Stone reported that the new series from “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson was plagued with production delays and last-minute script rewrites — accusations that HBO vehemently denied. The production also underwent significant reshoots after former director Amy Seimetz exited the project as Levinson took the reins, which was when Randolph said she entered the series.
“To my knowledge, there were two versions … [and] I came in the second time around when it was Sam helming it,” Randolph said. “So I can’t even speak on what that prior thing was because I wasn’t even there for that, but my experience, in particular with Sam being the leader of it, no, I didn’t experience that at all.”
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Centering on pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who struggles to rebound after a nervous breakdown derailed her last tour, the series highlights the dark underbelly of the music industry through dark and mature themes — a quality Randolph said translated into “more care” during production.
“If anything, due to what was going on in the subject matter, there was actually more care,” Randolph said. “At the end of the day, [Sam] had a deep understanding that we — the actors — are going there to tell these stories. So any intelligent director will know you have to actually create a … positive and motivating and safe environment for all of these actors to feel comfortable to tell the story. Absolutely, I felt that because if I didn’t, personally, I wouldn’t do it.”
For Randolph, who plays one of Jocelyn’s managers, Destiny, in the series, working with Levinson was a huge draw for signing onto the series, as “Euphoria” blew Randolph away with its “fearlessness” to address issues that often go unacknowledged in society without getting “too preachy.”
“At that point in my life, and in my career, I was really looking to take things to the next level, and I wanted to begin working with creators who push the envelope [that would] challenge me [and] challenge them,” she said. “It was exciting that I was like, ‘Oh, I think this will be something very interesting for me and my process, and something that I can from my personal self, enjoy the ride.'”
New episodes of “The Idol” premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and streaming on Max.
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