Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have seemingly confirmed a long-standing and bizarre rumour about how Netflix creates its original movies. The actors, while promoting their new Netflix action film 'The Rip', suggested the streaming giant imposes specific storytelling rules to cater to viewers who are distracted by their phones.
The 'Casual Viewer' Strategy Exposed
For years, industry observers and critics have speculated that Netflix tailors content for a 'casual viewer' – someone who might be scrolling through social media or multitasking while a film plays in the background. This theory was notably articulated by journalist Will Tavlin in a 2025 article for n+1, who pointed out how characters often verbally announce their actions and intentions, allowing anyone not fully watching to still follow the plot.
While Netflix has never officially addressed these claims, the veil may have been lifted by Damon and Affleck during a candid conversation on Joe Rogan's podcast this week. The discussion, which touched on the decline of cinemas and the ubiquity of smartphones, led Damon to detail the specific guidelines they encountered while making The Rip for Netflix.
Damon's Revelation on Rogan's Podcast
Damon explained that traditional action movie structure, with three major set pieces culminating in a costly finale, was being upended by Netflix's demands. "And now [Netflix] are like, 'Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? We want people to stay'," Damon stated, quoting the platform's executives.
He then delivered the crucial revelation: "'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'. It's really going to start to infringe on telling stories." This admission appears to directly confirm the long-circulated rumours about Netflix's writing directives.
Affleck interjected, arguing that not all Netflix content follows this pattern, citing the critically acclaimed film Adolescence as a counter-example. "That feels like more the exception though," Damon replied, with Affleck concluding, "My feeling is that it demonstrates that you don't need to do any of that s***."
Critical Reception and Industry Implications
Somewhat ironically, The Rip – in which the duo play Miami cops who discover stolen money – has been criticised for suffering from these very practices. Clarisse Loughrey, film critic for The Independent, wrote that the film is "afflicted with the Netflix curse of dialogue written exclusively for people who are busy scrolling on their phones."
The actors' comments, made on Monday 19 January 2026, have ignited a fresh debate about the artistic compromises demanded by algorithm-driven streaming platforms. It raises questions about whether the pursuit of retaining a distracted audience is fundamentally altering how screenwriters craft narratives and how actors deliver them.
This revelation places a new lens on the entire catalogue of Netflix originals, suggesting that the often-noted repetitiveness in dialogue and plotting is not a creative failing but a deliberate corporate strategy. The conversation underscores the growing tension between cinematic storytelling and the consumption habits of the digital age.
