“I’ve never experienced anything like that before”: BLACKPINK’s Jennie dishes on her Hollywood debut with The Idol

BLACKPINK’s Jennie is gearing up for her debut Hollywood production, The Idol, and has been talking about her experience in American interviews, where she dished about what it is like to tread an uncharted path by making her acting debut, that too with a Hollywood production. The only other BLACKPINK member who has acting experience is Jisoo, who made her acting debut with Snowdrop opposite Jung Hae-in.

In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily and The Hollywood Reporter, she spoke about the pros and the challenges of acting in The Idol. When asked about the challenges, she replied that acting in itself was a challenge to her as it was unexplored territory for her.

She revealed that although she has seven years of experience when it comes to being a K-pop idol, acting was not a cakewalk for her.

“It definitely was a challenge, because I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It was like breaking a wall for me.”

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BLACKPINK’s Jennie’s debut show, The Idol, will release on June 4

Last year, it was confirmed that BLACKPINK’s Jennie would be making her acting debut with Hollywood production HBO’s The Idol, which also marks her debut in a Hollywood production. The Idol, which also stars The Weeknd, Lily-Rose Depp, and Troye Sivan, among others, was recently premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Out of Competition category.

BLACKPINK’s Jennie became the second member of the group after her bandmate Rosé to make an appearance at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The Idol is all set to release on June 4, and the promotional rounds for it are in full swing, with BLACKPINK’s Jennie dishing about the good and bad aspects of the show.

While the singer also stated one factor as a challenge, she had more positives to speak about. BLACKPINK’s Jennie praised the showrunner, Sam Levinson, for taking her under his wing and guiding her to give her best in her role. Since he understood the world she came from and the fictional world they created in The Idol. The BLACKPINK singer shared she could trust him wholly to make that connection.

BLACKPINK’s Jennie also heaped praise on her co-star Lily-Rose Depp, saying that having her fellow CHANEL brand ambassador was reassuring for her and that the best advice she gave her was to just be herself and not get overwhelmed or scared. Finally, she confessed that the role itself was exciting for her to play and allowed her to express a side of herself that she otherwise would keep hidden from others.

Adding to the previous point, BLACKPINK’s Jennie admitted that she never had any formal acting training and just used her diverse experiences from the K-pop industry and channeled them into her character, reportedly called Dyanne.

“[Playing Dyanne is] an opportunity to just be myself and be brave. I didn’t really train for it, or prep anything. Sam wanted me to just be myself…I thought I could bring something to the role.”

The Idol was jointly created by The Weeknd and Sam Levinson. The already-in-news series explores the dark undertones of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood through the eyes of its main protagonist, Jocelyn, played by Lily Rose-Depp, a rookie pop singer who finds herself drawn to an enigmatic cult leader played by The Weeknd.

Reportedly, BLACKPINK’s Jennie will be portraying a character named Dyanne, who is said to be a close aide to Jocelyn. The character is speculated to be a bisexual person who is friends with or acquaintances with Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp.

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The Idol reportedly has graphic and s*xually aggressive content

The Idol was screened in the Out of Competition category at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Based on the initial reviews of the first two episodes screened at the recently concluded film festival, the series features graphic and s*xually aggressive content.

However, despite the criticism, The Idol reportedly received a five-minute standing ovation after its screening at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

There is massive skepticism amongst BLINKs after a few unnamed sources revealed to The Rolling Stone that the makers of The Idol are merely using BLACKPINK’s Jennie for clout and that she doesn’t have a substantial role in the series. It is left to be seen whether that is true or not. The Idol will be released on HBO on June 4, 2023.