Da’Vine Joy Randolph on The Idol Finale’s Twist: ‘It’s Feminine Empowerment’

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Da’Vine Joy Randolph on The Idol Finale’s Twist: ‘It’s Feminine Empowerment’

The Idol star Da’Vine Joy Randolph has revealed her thoughts on the big twist that took place in the HBO series’ Season 1 finale.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Randolph was asked about her thoughts on the finale and the twist of Jocelyn being in control of the situation with Tedros the entire time. The actress explained that she loved the way the dynamic flipped and “in a weird way” became about feminine empowerment.

“I loved it because I love the idea that they flipped it,” Randolph stated. “When I was doing interviews prior, everybody was up in arms and I kept saying, ‘Do you really think that someone as intelligent and brilliant as Sam [Levinson], who accomplished Euphoria, would literally be that on the surface?’ Why I liked it, I should explain, is number one, it’s showing something new. When have we seen the woman do it? In a weird way, it’s feminine empowerment. We’ve never seen that side of this. What is it like when the talent has this huge team and all these people who are working for them and everything’s going along and then you lose a bit of yourself? I think there is a cost for that level of success and fame, and there’s a part of you that does, I think, give yourself over. I think the key is and what I strive for and am fighting for, I don’t care how big I get, how can I remain humble? How can I remain grounded? How can I remain true to myself without having to sign that over, right?

“So now it’s not just, what do you think of this man doing this thing to this woman? It’s taking back the power for women in the sense of, that girl knew what she was doing. I think it’s clever and I think it gives it a great setup for what could be moving forward. I think it turns it on its side and, hopefully, did what it needs to do in terms of shocking people which I hope then made all the other stuff worth it. When it’s questions of this being inappropriate or he’s quote unquote ‘raping’ her, this kind of answers all those things.”

Who created The Idol?

The Idol was co-created by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson. The ensemble cast features Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Jane Adams, Rachel Sennott, Hari Nef, Moses Sumney, Jennie Ruby Jane, Dan Levy, Eli Roth, Ramsey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Hank Azaria.

Tesfaye, Fahim, and Levinson executive produce alongside Joe Epstein, Ashley Levinson, Nick Hall, Kevin Turen, Aaron Gilbert, and Sara E. White.