Lily-Rose Depp says her sexually aggressive pop star character from The Idol was inspired by Sharon Stone

Lily-Rose Depp has a new show, The Idol with Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd.

And her character has been compared to Britney Spears.

Extra’s Rachel Lindsay caught up with Lily to discuss the connection.

When asked if her pop singer is like Britney she flatly said no. ‘It’s not based on anyone in particular…’ she began. ‘We’re definitely not trying to tell anyone else’s story, but definitely create one of our own. 

‘There were a lot of different people that I was inspired by for this role. Some that were pop stars, some that were not.’

But then she added that she was inspired by Sharon Stone and Gene Tierney.

Her inspiration: Lily-Rose Depp said Sharon Stone inspired her The Idol character. Sharon seen right last week in her D&G bikini

Hot stuff in her 60s: Stone attends the We Are: The First Elles Collective fundraiser, in association with the French Consulate of Los Angeles and Splashpr on May 18

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Depp added, ‘I wanted Jocelyn to feel simultaneously like a modern-day pop queen of today but also like somebody that kind of existed in her own world and in her own kind of time.’

And she looked at Hollywood icons.

‘I drew a lot of inspiration from actresses like… Gene Tierney and Sharon Stone and women like that that I find really inspiring.’

She is likely meaning Stone’s character Catherine Trammel from Basic Instinct. 

In the series, Lily-Rose plays a pop phenom named Jocelyn trying to get her career back on track after a psychotic breakdown. 

 The Weeknd plays a club owner in a show that definitely pushes boundaries.

based on anyone in particular? I know there is a reference to Britney Spears.’

Some have said the show is too graphic.

But Lily-Rose says, ‘This is a fictional character and fictional story… I think the daringness of all of the scenes was something that added to the character’s rawness. Also to my desire to go there and explore the character to the best I could.’

Nope: Depp said her character was not based on pop icon Britney Spears

On stage: Spears on stage during the Piece Of Me Summer Tour at the O2 Arena in 2018

Rachel asked, ‘What does this show say about the industry?’

Depp replied, ‘The way that we idolize people in the public eye today. And the way that we almost convince ourselves that we know them… We build them up to these god-like statuses and then we kind of relish in taking them down. I think there is a big conversation around that in the show.’

Lily-Rose said she was apprehensive about singing.

‘I was definitely super nervous about it, especially being surrounded by so many talented singers. I was like… “Why on earth am I singing?”…

‘But I loved the challenge… being in the studio with Abel… They really gave me the confidence… I ended up really enjoying it. It was cool ’cause it was something that I was quite nervous about in the beginning and by the end I was having so much fun doing it. It was a really cool part of the creation of the character for me.’

‘The Idol’ premieres Sunday on HBO and Max.