Following the release on Friday 16 May of The Weeknd’s latest foray into acting, some who have watched Hurry Up Tomorrow have had some harsh words for the successful musician
Fans have slammed The Weeknd’s new film after a clip of him acting a scene with Jenna Ortega has gone viral. Taken from Hurry Up Tomorrow, which was released on Friday, social media users have mocked his acting skills, advising him to ‘stick to singing’.
The psychological thriller stars The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, as a fictionalised version of himself. In the movie, he’s an insomniac musician, who is descending into mental illness.
After breaking up with his girlfriend, his Abel meets a troubled fan called Anima, portrayed by Ortega. But the plot isn’t what viewers have focused on, with Abel’s performance drawing attention for all the wrong reasons.
In a clip showing him involved in a tense argument with a tearful Anima, he dramatically shouts at her while pulling out all his drama skills. Some fans can’t get past it, telling him acting is “not your calling”.
Taking to X, one fan chose blissful ignorance, posting a GIF of a dog with its eyes closed: “Me ignoring the Weeknd’s acting career so I can enjoy his music.” Another joked: “Watching The Weeknd force an acting career on us is insane. Like it’s not your calling. Stop playin in my movie theatres.”
A third fan was bemused, pondering: “I genuinely can’t tell if the weeknd is bad at acting or he’s just really good at playing someone really f***ing irritating.” Someone else urged someone to step in, Writing: “Like we need someone in his inner circle to start being honest and tell the weeknd that he should just stick to singing because acting is definitely not for everyone.”
Others thought someone had done him dirty, with one fan posting: “Whoever told the weeknd he’s good at acting going to hell.” Another mused: “I’ve never seen someone angry in monotone.”
Hurry Up Tomorrow isn’t The Weeknd’s first bash at forging a career in acting, following his 2023 HBO series The Idol. But unfortunately, that also flopped, and was axed after its first season.
The show followed Lily Rose Depp’s character, Jocelyn, as she starts a difficult relationship with the head of a contemporary cult, The Weeknd. The Idol received plenty of bad reviews from critics and backlash from fans who were left cringing as they watched “unnecessary” sex scenes and “poorly written” dialogue.
Some viewers took to Twitter to share that they had seen it coming, with one writing: “I think we could all see this coming from a mile away. Before the second episode even dropped.”
A second added: “I’m surprised they even let them finish the finale.” A third chimed in, commenting: “This is one cancellation I vehemently support.”
“Thank god that show was one of the worst things i have ever see in my life,” a fourth harshly wrote. Others urged The Weeknd to stick to working on his successful music career, with one typing: “I know I speak for the majority of people when I say we want to see The Weeknd act again.”
A spokesperson for the television company that has created hit shows like Euphoria, Game of Thrones and Succession, told Variety: “The Idol was one of HBO’s most provocative original programs, and we’re pleased by the strong audience response. After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers have decided not to move forward with a second season. We’re grateful to the creators, cast, and crew for their incredible work.”
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