Damon and Affleck say Netflix urged early action beats and plot repetition

According to Movieweb, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck told The Joe Rogan Experience that, while making Netflix's The Rip, the streamer asked for a big action set piece in the first five minutes and even suggested 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 described the traditional action structure they learned — "you usually have three set pieces.

One in the first act, one in the second, one in the third. And they kinda ramp up to the big one with all the explosions" — and said Netflix's request ran counter to that approach. Affleck cited the show Adolescence as an exception, saying, "But then you look at Adolescence, and it didn't do any of that sh*t.

And it's f***ing great. And it's dark too. It's tragic and intense. [It's about] this guy who finds out his kid is accused of murder, and there are long shots of the back of their heads. They get in the car, nobody says anything." Damon called the show an exception that is "masterfully made," and Affleck added, "It demonstrates that you don't need to do any of that sh*t." The article noted that many Netflix productions are said to share a similar "look and feel," with stories sometimes described as "thinner" and plots "cookie-cutter," but that the streamer does offer alternatives, which the piece described as rare.

Key Topics

Culture, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Netflix, The Rip, Joe Rogan Experience