The Idol on MAX: How Lily-Rose Deep's character appears to take inspiration ... trends now

The Idol sees Lily-Rose Deep star as a troubled popstar who is trying to make a comeback, and many have been quick to point out the many parallels that her character appears to share with singer Britney Spears.

Indeed, the character – created by Euphoria’s Sam Levinson and Grammy-winning singer The Weeknd for their controversial new series on MAX – appears to have drawn inspiration from famous female musicians such as Spears and Miley Cyrus.

However, the show made a noted reference to Spears in the premiere episode, seemingly confirming speculation that the show is loosely based on the career of the beloved pop princess.

In The Idol, the 24-old actress’s character Jocelyn is seen attempting to bounce back from a nervous breakdown which was sparked by the death of her mother.

Jocelyn’s return to music comes in the form of a racy single in which she sings about being a ‘sex freak’ and creates raunchy dance sequences and promotional images to coincide with the release.

For many, this appeared to be a reference to Spears’ Blackout era in 2007, which was released while the singer was having public struggles with her mental wellbeing following her divorce from dancer Kevin Federline.

The dance pop record saw Britney singing about fame, sex and media scrutiny on tracks such as Gimme More, Piece of Me, Radar and Freakshow and Get Naked (I Got a Plan).

Speculation about Spears’ potential involvement in the show was sparked in May 2022, after the Toxic hitmaker shared a video of herself with Levinson and The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye).

However, despite Spears stating that she had ‘shot movie titled "THE IDOL"’ in November 2021, there has been no confirmation that she will appear in the series.

In recent interviews, Depp - who is the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis - stated that she would ‘overjoyed’ if Spears watched the series as she told Access Hollywood: 'I’m obviously a huge fan of Britney’s. I think she’s incredible and I have so much respect and admiration for her, so of course, I would be overjoyed if she watched the show.'

She then stressed that the program was not a retelling of Britney’s journey as she added: ‘It is important to say that we are certainly not trying to tell her story, or anyone else’s story for that matter’.

Here, DailyMail.com examines the similarities between the character and iconic pop star.

Child stars turned sexy pop sensations who have their careers heavily policed by their 'teams'

Britney Spears was famously part of The Mickey Mouse Club in the nineties, alongside the likes of Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling.

She then launched her solo music career in 1999 with her smash-hit single, …Baby One More Time.

In The Idol, when Jocelyn meets with a Vanity Fair journalist (played by Hari Nef), it is revealed that Jocelyn is a child star who found fame on a show titled, Rock House.

Joecelyn has since become a pop star, much like Spears, but her career journey before her ‘nervous breakdown’ isn’t shown in the first episode of the program.

However, viewers get an insight into the mechanics of managing a pop star’s career thanks to conversations between Jocelyn’s record label executive played by Jane Adams), two managers played by Hank Azaria and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, a publicist played by Dan Levy and Live Nation representative portrayed by director Eli Roth.

Just 20 minutes into the premiere episode, Jocelyn is seen doing dance rehearsals in her mansion while her team and the Vanity Fair journalist watch on.

Her record label executive claims that the choreography is an ‘homage’ to Britney before the Jocelyn’s publicist states: ‘I think what Britney and Jocelyn have gone through is really unique, but ultimately universal, you know?

‘Look at what she’s overcome. You know, the press has been brutal… with Britney as well. Like, people count them out and this is Jocelyn saying “I will not be written off”.’

The conversation is one of many within the show which highlights the way narratives are built around singers by members of their entourage.

Over the years, it has been revealed how Britney’s own career was shaped by former manager Larry Rudolph, former business manager Lou Taylor and her father, Jamie Spears – who served as the conservator of the singer’s estate from 2008 until 2021.

The singer famously covered the topic of others controlling her image with her 2001 track, Overprotected.

Both Jocelyn and Britney have best friends who also work as their personal assistants 

In The Idol, it is made clear that Jocelyn's assistant Leia (played by Rachel Sennott) is also her best friend and closest confidante following her emotional breakdown.

This appears to mirror Britney's own relationship with her former assistant, Felicia 'Fe' Culotta.

Speaking in the Framing Britney Spears documentary, Culotta said she was asked to meet with Britney and her mother Lynne Spears at a restaurant on the same weekend she signed her first record deal at the age of 15 in 1998.

Lynne allegedly explained how she couldn't meet the travel demands of the budding pop star's schedule and needed Culotta to travel with her at all times.

'I don't know that I ever really had any definition on what I was supposed to do with Britney. For a long time they called me her chaperone,' the Louisiana native said in the interview.

Eventually, Culotta said they all agreed that she would take on the title of assistant: 'I definitely wasn't her mother or her big sister, so we settled on assistant.'

Culotta maintains she initially agreed to be Britney's 'chaperone' for only three months. But she would stay on board as part of her inner circle, leading to her

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