Netflix execs have denied claims from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that filmmakers were asked to reiterate plot points to counter the dwindling attention spans of viewers.
The Rip stars Affleck and Damon shed light on the streamer’s supposed habit while promoting their new film on The Joe Rogan Experience, where the latter claimed that Netflix executives directed them to restate the plot multiple times for people who were absent-mindedly watching as they scrolled on their phones.
The 2026 Oscars would later see Conan O’Brien and Sterling K Brown allude to a similar idea when they reimagined what classic films like Casablanca would turn into if they were forced to reiterate basic plot points.
Netflix has now hit back at the rumours, with film chief Dan Lin telling reporters there was “no such principle” at the streamer.
“We actually all laughed when we watched that bit at the Oscars, but there’s no such principle,” Lin continued, per Variety. “I mean, if you watch our movies or TV shows, we don’t repeat our plot. So I don’t know where that comment came from. Certainly, we are focused on making great movies.”
Rather than asking creatives to add explainers to their projects, scripted series head Jinny Howe joked that their chief content officer Bela Bajaria is “kind of exposition police and very against being overly [explanatory] about things”, saying: “We know how savvy the audiences are. We know how much fans are paying attention, and we are really treating them as they are sophisticated and as smart as they are.”
Bajaria added, “I think it’s so offensive to creators and filmmakers to think that first of all, we would give them a bad note like that, and they would just take it.”
When Affleck and Damon spoke to Rogan, they named Adolescence as an exception to the rule, and didn’t need to rehash its major themes for viewers.
“And it’s fucking great,” Affleck said of the hit drama. “And it’s dark too. It’s tragic and intense. [It’s about] this guy who finds out his kid is accused of murder. There are long shots of the back of their heads. They get in the car, nobody says anything.”
Damon said the series was “so masterfully made that it feels like the exception”, while co-star suggested that it “demonstrates that you don’t need to do any of that shit”.