Matt Damon admits Netflix scripts are changed due to viewers’ phone habits
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He’s an Oscar-winner, he’s starred in some of the biggest movies of the past couple of decades, and he’s now making his mark on Netflix alongside Ben Affleck in action thriller The Rip – already dubbed ‘most entertaining film of the year’ just days into 2026. But Matt Damon hasn’t held back when it comes to revealing the differences between watching a movie in the cinema and on a streaming platform – and how Netflix has addressed this to keep viewers hooked. (Picture: Arturo Holmes/WireImage)
The 55-year-old star of Good Will Hunting and The Martian appeared alongside Affleck on The Joe Rogan Experience and admitted just how those home viewing distractions – such as phones for example – are actually influencing the way the streaming giant makes its films, right down to the – gasp! – dialogue. (Picture: Claire Folger/Netflix)
Speaking on the podcast he said: ‘I went to see One Battle After Another on IMAX — there’s nothing like that feeling. You’re in with you know a bunch of strangers, but people in your community and you’re having this experience together. I always say it’s more like going to church, you show up an an appointed time. It doesn’t wait for you.’ But as far as he is concerned, watching a movie such as The Rip in the comfort of your own home is a whole different ballgame with the actor pointing out you’re giving a ‘very different’ level of attention to what you’re watching. (Picture: Claire Folger/Netflix)
When it came to his own Netflix endeavour, he revealed that is reflected in the way they do things differently with the dialogue. Explaining: ‘For instance, Netflix — the standard way to make an action movie, that we learned, was you usually have three set pieces. One in the first act, one in the second, one in the third – and the big one with all the explosions and you spend most of your money on, that one in the third act. That’s your kind of finale.’ (Picture: Warrick Page/Netflix)
In what appeared to be a subtle swipe at the folks with their feet up in front of the flatscreen, he then added: ‘Now [Netflix is] like, “Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? We want people to stay tuned in. And it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching”.’ Damon went on to express concern over this method of moviemaking as he concluded: ‘It’s going to really start to infringe on how we’re telling these stories.’ (Picture: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix)
Ouch. Affleck, however picked up the mantle at this point, counter-arguing that the formula wasn’t necessarily applied to all Netflix content, saying: ‘But then you look at Adolescence and it didn’t do any of that and it was f****** great.’ Damon agreed, saying: ‘It feels more like the exception…I hope it’s not,’ while Affleck suggested that it demonstrates that you don’t need do to ‘any of that s*** to get people to watch.’ (Picture: Ben Blackall/Netflix)
The Rip is the latest project from a duo who first sowed the seeds of a professional partnership when they were teenagers growing up together just outside Boston. Directed by Joe Carnahan and also starring Steven Yeun, Kyle Chandler and recent Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor, it sees the pair playing Miami cops who are part of a team that discovers a stash of what sppears to be $20million (£14.8m) in a safehouse. They have to count the money before they can leave the scene, but also have to survive the night as suspicion sets in. (Picture: Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty Images)
Damon leads the group as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, recently promoted, while Affleck is his friend and colleague, Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne. Speaking to Metro, they revealed that there was no issue at all when it came to deciding who would play which role. (Picture: Lafargue Raphael/ABACA/Shutterstock)
Damon explained: ‘I remember that happened on The Departed where Leo [DiCaprio] liked both roles and I liked both roles and we just said to Marty [Scorsese], “We’re just completely agnostic. What do you think? Your call, you’re the director.” It’s got to be the director’s. It’s got to fit the director’s vision.’ (Picture: ETTORE FERRARI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
