The Weeknd to star in film he co-wrote, produced opposite Jenna Ortega
Musician 'The Weeknd', whose real name is Abel Tesfaye will have his first starring role in a feature film that he wrote and is also producing.
Very few probably would recognise him by his real name! Singer Abel Tesfaye, popularly known as The Weeknd, is considering to get rid of his stage name.
“It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter,” he told in a recent interview. “I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn,” Variety quoted W magazine saying. Tesfaye has previously spoken about an elaborate plan for his next musical project and hinted at the completion of a trilogy that includes 2020’s “After Hours” and last year’s “Dawn FM.” Though the specifics of those plans remain unconfirmed, the singer did say that, “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd… This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say,” Variety reported.
On the theme of alter egos, Tesfaye spoke in details about the trials and tribulations of balancing his time as the Weeknd while also stepping into his character — a cult leader named Tedros — on the new HBO series that also stars Lily Rose-Depp.
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“It was tough to go from one head to another,” he said, going on to explain how the overlap played into him having to cancel a second concert at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium after losing his voice.
“That’s never happened before,” he continued. “My theory is that I forgot how to sing because I was playing Tedros, a character who doesn’t know how to sing. I may be looking too deeply into this, but it was terrifying. As The Weeknd, I’ve never skipped a concert. I’ve performed with the flu. I’ll die on that stage. But there was something very complicated going on with my mind at that moment,” reported Variety.
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