After past performances in Uncut Gems and The Idol, Abel Tesfaye is continuing to solidify himself as an actor, and on Tuesday night debuted his starring role in Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, plays a fictionalized version of himself in the Lionsgate project, as a musician on the verge of a mental breakdown who is pulled into an existential odyssey by a mysterious stranger. The film is a companion piece to his album of the same name, which was released in January.
Trey Edward Shults directed the movie, and Tesfaye told The Hollywood Reporter at the New York premiere he is someone “I’ve been such a fan of and watching the film, the first cut, and praying that it fit in his body of work — luckily it does and I’m really proud of that because I’m a huge fan.”
When it comes to the future of his acting journey, the musician noted, “It’s all art to me, so if it connects with me and I feel inspired to make it, then I’m gonna make it.” The film also comes at a time when Tesfaye has spoken about retiring his stage name and has previously signaled that Hurry Up Tomorrow would likely be the final chapter of The Weeknd. But when asked about that decision on the carpet, he said, “We’re brainstorming it right now. I feel like we don’t have any definite answers, but I haven’t dropped it yet because I’m on tour, so I’ve still gotta get out there and see the fans.”
Ortega — wearing the iconic Christian Dior newspaper dress that Carrie Bradshaw wore in Sex and the City — explained that the “whole point of the film is it’s supposed to be very enigmatic” and highlighted the value of her “support system” in Tesfaye, Keoghan and Shults.
“It’s challenging to insert yourself into such a personal story for somebody else and allow them to be vulnerable and create a safe space to do that but then also share your own experiences,” she acknowledged.
The star also spoke about her desire to direct, after recently revealing she wants to direct a script she’s been working on for 10 years. When asked if fans can expect her in the director’s chair soon, Ortega responded, “I don’t know, there’s also a lot of pressure on it, but I really would. I think I would rather wait for the right time and when I feel ready — and I’ll know when that happens but when I do it, I want to be able to give all my time and effort in it. I’m working on projects I’m really excited about right now so maybe, everything needs its due time.”
Hurry Up Tomorrow hits theaters on Friday.
Neha Joy contributed to this report.
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