The Weeknd is best known for making hits that feel like they could be the soundtrack to your life if your life was an epic movie filled with drama, deceit, and decadence. It seems only fitting that Abel Tesfaye, or The Weeknd, appear in a film that involves all of the above.
Uncut Gems, by the Safdie Brothers and starring Adam Sandler, became The Weeknd's film debut. Movie-goers were pleasantly surprised to see the cameo by the beloved singer, though it was short and sweet. Well, not sweet exactly, but memorable to say the least. It's hard to believe that over the course of his career, The Weeknd hasn't been asked to star in other projects, but maybe now more studios will come a-knocking, although, preparing for this film might prove a lot easier than any future projects he attempts since all he really had to do was be himself.
Bring Back The Punk
Tesfaye was tapped to play a version of himself from 2012, the period in which the film takes place. By that time, The Weeknd's name wasn't as widely known yet and the Safdie Brothers preferred it that way since they wanted to spotlight someone who was still making their way in the industry.
Josh Safdie recalls during an interview with Variety, that Tesfaye was eager to make his part as authentic as possible. "Because he said he was a relentless punk in 2012... we were like, 'Oh, okay, we'll write that into the movie.' And we had to make his hair again, because he iconically shaved his head." Yes, they recreated that infamous hairstyle that had everyone talking because before the release of Starboy in 2016, Tesfaye revealed a new, shorter look." Safdie continued, "But he was like, 'Yeah, we have to bring back the punk.'"
He Has A Fan In Adam Sandler
This film was definitely a departure from Sandler's typical fare, showcasing a more solemn and serious tone than audiences are used to, but Sandler himself was excited at the prospect of working with Tesfaye.
"We listen to a lot of Weeknd in the house," the actor revealed in an interview with MTV News. So, of course, when Tesfaye was cast in the film, Sandler was overjoyed, but that joy soon turned to dread when he realized that during his scene with The Weeknd, he'd have to really fight him, without a stunt team.
"The Weeknd is stronger than you want him to be... I didn't expect The Weeknd to have strong hands and [be so] solid," the comedian remarked. Another aspect Sandler was in awe of was the fact that Tesfaye, in a bid to make his scene as realistic as possible, insisted on performing his 2011 song The Morning, live for several takes. "He's singing it live. He did it like four or five times and it was powerful man," Sandler declared.
He Actually Wasn't First Pick
The most surprising thing about Tesfaye being cast in a role that seemed to be tailored to him was that he wasn't actually the first choice during casting. According to an interview from NME with the Safdie Brothers, he may not have even been the second choice. "Before we met him, we did a table read with ASAP Ferg and it was a character named Privledge," Josh Safdie recalled. "Before it was Ferg, it was going to be an unknown."
Their casting process was understandably difficult since they wanted the film to feel like it was set back in 2012, but it accounts for ex-NBA star Kevin Garnett's cameo in the film as well, getting him back into his Celtics uniform to re-create the 2012 Playoff Series game between the Celtics and the New York Knicks. Garnett was apparently worried about playing himself, afraid that he could possibly mess it up, he confessed in an interview with ESPN. "I did go back and watch the series just to pull from it because it helped the script, it helped the flow of it," Garnett remarked. "That was an experience I'll probably never forget."