The Weeknd is stepping out from behind the music and facing some deep emotional baggage, on camera.
While filming Hurry Up Tomorrow, the psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults, The Weeknd says the whole experience felt like one big therapy session. Known for hiding his feelings behind his haunting vocals and polished persona, the 35-year-old singer, real name Abel Tesfaye, used the project to tap into some serious vulnerability he’s long kept buried.
Speaking to The Guardian, The Weeknd admitted that before shooting even began, he had to go through his own healing journey. Once that process kicked in, he felt the urge to express it all visually, through film. “Before we shot the film, I went through whatever healing I had to go through,” he said. “And then I needed to shed that skin, and I wanted to do it in a way that felt more visual.”
He even confessed that Hurry Up Tomorrow might have stayed hidden forever if it weren’t for the push from director Trey Shults. “If it wasn’t for Trey, I would have kept it in the vault, I’ve kept a lot of albums in the vault,” he admitted. “But it felt right to tell it.”
This film gave him something he’s never had through music alone, a real opportunity to be exposed. He said, “I was able to be vulnerable in my music, but I was able to hide behind music.” And with Trey behind the camera, that hiding place vanished. The Weeknd trusted him enough to dig deeper than ever, confronting emotions he’s carried since childhood. “Men have this forcefield, it’s like we want to come off as invincible, and vulnerability is something you run away from,” he explained. “For me to trust someone like Trey enough to allow myself to be vulnerable, that was new for me.”
That vulnerability, he says, became a shared experience for everyone involved in the film. “It felt like a therapy session for all of us. I was able to face my child self,” he revealed. “We go through so much that we don’t even remember as children; we just suppress everything. If you don’t deal with it, it comes out.”
This shift in mindset might also explain why The Weeknd is seriously considering retiring the name that made him a global star. Earlier this month, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he’s been “brainstorming” the end of The Weeknd moniker. He’s hinted that Hurry Up Tomorrow could be the last project under that name, but don’t expect him to ditch it immediately. “I haven’t dropped it yet because I’m on tour,” he said, “so I’ve still got to get out there and see the fans.”
For now, The Weeknd’s fans will get to witness this new, stripped-down version of him on screen. He stars alongside Wednesday breakout Jenna Ortega and Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan in the intense, emotionally driven film that sounds nothing like the pop hits he’s known for. But judging by how personal the project is, it might be his most honest work yet, even if it’s not set to a beat.
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