How Is Director Sam Levinson Still Getting Away With Being A Creep?

HBO’s dark teen drama Euphoria captured the hearts of many young viewers when it first premiered in 2019, but since then the series has made quite the cultural splash. Cosmopolitan detailed the fashion microtrends spawned from the series’ success, writing “You Know You Want To Dress Like You’re In Euphoria,” while Time magazine investigated “How Euphoria Came to Embody the Gen Z Aesthetic.” 

Superficial, edgy fashion trends aside, the show itself blew up in popularity due to its grasp on raw, unfiltered juvenile rebellion under the direction of Sam Levinson. His inspiration? Apparently his own checkered past. Now that he’s back at it with the scandalous upcoming show The Idol, Levinson’s twisted creative direction is under fire once again.

*This article is intended for readers 18 years old and older.*

From Teenage Sexual Exploitation to Cult Leaders and Irrepressible Pop Star Ambitions

Developed to be the darker, Hollywood equivalent of Euphoria, HBO’s The Idol was originally set to be directed by Amy Seimetz. But, when Seimetz departed and Sam Levinson took over this show starring Lily-Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye (also known as The Weeknd), 13 sources tipped off Rolling Stone that it had taken a shockingly offensive turn for the worse.

“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show – and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” said one production member about Levinson’s new direction for the show following Seimetz’s departure. 

Allegedly, Levinson scrapped Seimetz’s ever-so-slightly more uplifting story about how a troubled starlet (Depp), victimized by a predatory industry leader involved in NXIVM-like cult activity (Tesfaye), fought against the system and reclaimed agency over herself. Instead, Levinson’s creative direction went down a “torture porn” route and has been called out for its physically and sexually violent scenes. 

The original version of The Idol wasn’t meant to be tame by any means, but many sources shared that Levinson upped the ante on explicit content. Twitter user and podcaster @rejectedhannah shared disgust and disappointment with the show after watching the pilot episode, but she was only one of many social media users who have expressed outrage ahead of the show’s release.

While filming Euphoria, Levinson was often scrutinized for the sheer volume of gratuitous nudity occurring in a show about teenagers. Leading actress Sydney Sweeney even admitted in an interview with The Independent that she had to speak up against Levinson’s direction when she felt that her character Cassie didn’t need to be shirtless. However, Levinson’s inclination to show female nudity wasn’t the only reason why the Euphoria set was riddled with controversy. 

According to allegations released in a report from The Daily Beast, shooting Euphoria was a “hellish” process with “gruelingly long” workdays and nights that, at worst, hit 17-hour marks. The report revealed additional tension between Levinson and his cast members (like Sky Ferreira, though she has since dispelled rumors), as well as crew members being kept from proper meal and bathroom breaks. However, HBO addressed these accusations with a statement to Deadline that insisted the well-being of cast and crew was a top priority and that everyone followed safety and union protocols.

All of these long days and nights culminated in Euphoria becoming HBO’s second most-watched show after the fantasy epic Game of Thrones, but what does that say about the messages which (many very young) audiences were absorbing through sight and sound? Evie writer Luna Salinas detailed just how much Euphoria pushed the envelope, from characters getting high and orgasming in public, camming for older men while engaging in shame kinks, having anal sex in motels with strangers from dating apps, and countless other instances of male and female sexual exploitation. Let me remind you – these scenarios are all depicting Levinson’s vision for teenage life in the supposedly fictional world of Euphoria. 

But where in the world did Levinson dream up these subversive scenes depicting underage girls suffering? From my understanding, it would appear that Levinson has used his platform to come to terms with his own troubled past. As a result, this glamorized, aestheticized version of a dangerous adolescence only looks that much more attractive to young viewers.

Levinson’s Creative Direction Comes from His Own Traumatic Past

Before the premiere of Euphoria, Levinson came clean about his own experience with drug addiction, from opiates to crystal meth. He told the live audience how his teenage years were mostly spent between hospitals, rehab, and halfway houses, and that at one point he even made peace with the prospect that drugs would kill him. In 2019, the director shared he had been clean for 14 years, but in this speech, he brought up how rehab sparked his desire to also clean up his legacy.

“I’m a liar, I’m a thief, I’m an addict, I’ve been shitty to almost every person in my life that I love, and I had a moment where I thought, ‘I don’t feel that way inside, I think I’m a better person than that,’” he said.

Levinson's portrayals of addiction in Euphoria may have been intended to raise awareness for a struggle he personally went through and witnessed several people succumb to, but some critics have rightfully pointed out the potential dangers of inadvertently romanticizing and glamorizing opioid use. While Levinson was able to turn his life around and become a prominent force in the television industry, he undoubtedly had access to better resources and support than is the case for most addicts.

Last year, Vulture released a Hollywood hit piece claiming 2022 was “The Year of the Nepo Baby,” to call out the shockingly large number of current household names who may only have such widespread industry success due to their parent’s fame. As it turns out, Sam Levinson may indeed be a product of Hollywood nepotism. His father, Barry Levinson, is a one-time Academy Award-winning director best known for the 1988 film Rain Man, the 1992 film Bugsy, and his countless other credits featuring A-list actors. The elder Levinson founded The Levinson/Fontana Company television production company with Tom Fontana, and some have credited their work as setting the precedent for HBO’s creative footprint. Curious, then, how the Levinson of Euphoria fame happened to get a major boost to his career through his HBO show, but I’m sure there’s nothing to see here!

Hypersexuality Has Led To Widespread Desensitization

When you look at Levinson’s work throughout the years, it’s hard not to notice the explicit oversexualization of his female characters. This began with his 2008 film Assassination Nation, which some critics felt perpetuated negative female stereotypes through its “tone-deaf and reductionist” feminism, but has only grown more obvious throughout the years with his work on Euphoria. Now with The Idol, Levinson’s creepy antics appear to be at an all-time high. 

The Los Angeles Times pointed out how, even by HBO’s standards, this show includes several very graphic sex scenes and that Depp’s character Jocelyn’s “naked, and near-naked, breasts are on constant display.” A writer from The New York Times went so far as to say that this show is a “Pornhub-homepage odyssey starring Lily-Rose Depp’s areolas and The Weeknd’s greasy rat tail.” One Variety writer stated that Sam Levinson’s “worldview seems corrupt,” and another detailed that the first two episodes “scandalized” the Cannes Film Festival through masturbatory scenes featuring ice cubes and shocking images of bodily fluids on Depp’s character’s face in revenge porn photos. So, what's the draw?

At the risk of sounding puritanical, we as a society have become far too desensitized to shock content. You can have a tasteful portrayal of sexuality or discourse on touchy topics such as drug addiction, and the media which comes from it always feels much more intriguing than media with unbridled racy content. Just think about how nudity in classic art was used to be provocative in nature and thoughtfully push taboos rather than disturb, disgust, or even traumatize the viewer.

The Overton window hasn’t just been pushed open a crack, it has been blown far open, and oftentimes as a viewer, you’re left asking yourself, “Where is there to go from here?” Watching gratuitous bedroom scenes or two characters getting steamy in a closet hook-up is one thing, but in The Idol, for example, viewers are subjected to borderline pornographic material like Depp’s character being shown with semen on her face.

Essentially, the Overton window concept explains how radical beliefs can incrementally become acceptable, and in some cases, popular. The shift begins when someone makes a ludicrous claim or says something unacceptable, and then dials it back to a weaker version. Ideas progress down this pipeline by first being unthinkable, then radical, then sensible, then popular, and eventually policy. 

On a recent episode of the Pop Culture Crisis podcast, co-host Mary Morgan pointed out how Sam Levinson’s The Idol exemplifies the issue with hypersexuality in media which is “sapped of all human libido or human connection being portrayed.” Though Morgan is personally not a fan of any sex scenes in general, she asserted that if sex scenes are used to portray genuine human connection, they may not be so bad. Instead, audiences of Levinson’s shows are fed overstimulating visual and auditory scenes depicting abuse and rape that lack depth or meaning beyond being shock content.

But, for many of us who call out hypersexualization or graphic portrayals of drug addiction for pushing the boundaries a bit too far, we’re quickly deemed puritanical even if we’re otherwise quite libertarian in our worldviews. Look, I’ve personally never feared darker content and am no stranger to sitting through comically violent films like The Evil Dead. The difference between that campy horror movie and shows like Euphoria or The Idol is that the latter bear great influence over young viewers through what feels like total bait. Audiences are spoonfed top pop icons and big name celebrities or influencers as casting choices, alluring fashion statements and experimental makeup that’s quickly capitalized on by fast fashion and cosmetic brands, and of course dashing visuals reminiscent of a high-budget music video. 

I mean, at the time of writing this, there are over 7.2B views on TikTok videos about “Euphoria outfits” alone, and many Instagram accounts dedicated to tracking down Euphoria fashion and makeup trends. It’s glitzy, it’s glamorous, and it’s idealized.

The popularity of Levinson’s shows proves that what we define as acceptable and what we consider “controversial” has undoubtedly shifted to a radical extreme. Sam Levinson continues to get away with pushing the envelope because, as a society, we’ve normalized many taboos that once had a more alluring value and could inspire genuinely thought-provoking art. A gorgeous dress draped over womanly curves, showing off a tasteful amount of skin, has visual excitement because it teases the viewer to want more without giving them unsatisfying, instant gratification.

Graphic violence and gratuitous sex in television signal a cultural decay, and no, it’s not because these sensitive topics only just became real-life issues. Instead, we’ve erased taboos and conditioned ourselves not to have that gut reaction signaling to us that we’re seeing something inherently wrong. An ordered society needs established taboos to safeguard victims. Churning out content that romanticizes sexual trauma may be intended to raise awareness, but it really just erases the taboos that protect victims in the first place.

Furthermore, though I’d never assert that correlation proves causation, it’s fascinating that the rise of easily accessible, free digital pornography has also coincided with a rise in erectile dysfunction among men under 40. Pornography consumption has also been linked to a wide range of men’s issues – even increasing the likelihood of divorce. Mature audiences can handle mature content, but the entertainment industry has upped the ante on explicit sex scenes, as well as graphic violence and excessive profanity. 

I can’t blame Levinson for being a director in the generation that he is a part of, but he should realize how much power he wields with this platform. He knows the ins and outs of a troubled adolescence firsthand, and while there is an element of truth to the tales he’s intending to tell through The Idol – some have drawn comparisons to the psychotic break of Depp’s pop idol character to Britney Spears while Depp herself has tossed around the name Sharon Stone – he’s risking glamorizing disturbing themes for young audiences. 

Any young person can be exposed to violence or other heavy subjects through the internet, but ease of access is only one piece of this puzzle. LiveLeak videos or other websites rife with violent pornographic content at least bear some societal weight because of the taboo, but imagine if those were romanticized in film or television for young audiences to just become numb to?

Closing Thoughts

Levinson’s The Idol will undoubtedly see massive success despite its disturbing themes, and he will go on to direct the next season of Euphoria or the apparent kids' movie he wants to create on behalf of his 7-year-old son. Why? Well, prestige media memoryholes us into forgetting our outrage and then continues to push the goalposts further and further away from a healthy norm. Media certainly shouldn’t be overly censored through a “prudish” lens, but for our own best mental health outcomes, perhaps we shouldn’t give viewership to projects that rely on shock content and leave us stressed, depressed, and desensitized to real-world issues.

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