Music mogul Simon Cowell admits hearing of One Direction star Liam Payne’s death while filming almost lead to him cancelling his new Netflix series The Next Act
Simon Cowell’s new Netflix talent hunt, The Next Act, dropped on the streamer this week – but one “horrific” moment showed the moment he was told about One Direction star Liam Payne’s death. Music mogul Cowell and artist Liam remained close until he tragically died after falling from the balcony of an Argentinian hotel.
But the record label owner was cautious about airing the footage, sending it to the late star’s family and his ex, Cheryl Tweedy, ahead of it being shown on TV. The show sees Simon on the hunt for the next big boyband, following the record-breaking success story of One Direction, but filming was almost cancelled when he found out the heartbreaking news of Liam’s death.
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During the six-part series, Simon said of Liam: “He was just so normal and down to earth, he always had a sparkle in his eye. Everyone adored him. You don’t know how you feel about someone until you lose them. I am going to genuinely miss him.”
Speaking at the launch of the Netflix series, Simon opened up on how he handled the footage, which came as a complete shock to him and the crew. He told the Sun: “In the middle, there was that moment with Liam, which was just horrific. That really threw us.
“I was very close to him, and that was hard. We almost stopped filming. I had to go away, clear my head.
“We took a break for about two weeks. Before that it had been almost every day. I sent [parts of episode three] to Liam’s parents and Cheryl to see, for obvious reasons, and I said, ‘Look, I don’t want you to just see it when it airs’.
“And so the production company sent it to them, and they were fine with it. It was respectful, I think.”
The show also sees Cowell team up with Brit Award-winning singer-songwriter Kamille, who helps her former mentor Simon find a new boyband. She commented on Simon’s decision to continue filming the series in a Q&A with The Mirror.
She explained: “Not so much, at the time he took a break from filming because it was so devastating and he needed time to process it. We were all there for each other but it was such a sad time, I think part of you’s still shaken by it. But you know what, Simon’s very strong – and he really didn’t want to let these boys down, I think he carried on for that reason.”
The official synopsis reads: “Music mogul and record executive Simon Cowell has single-handedly created some of the biggest music superstars in the world. In this brand-new Netflix docu-series, cameras follow him everywhere as he sets out to do it again, to try and create the next global boyband sensation.
“This is unlike any show he has made before. From raw open casting calls to the release of their debut single, this is an all-access pass for viewers to catch every moment of Simon’s next chapter. Will he strike gold once again?”
Source: Mirror
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