Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have reunited on screen once again this weekend with their Netflix crime thriller The Rip, and now the Oscar winners have shared some guidelines that were suggested during the film's development for the streaming service. During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Damon explained that the go-to route that he and his co-star and longtime friend are used to wasn't factored in when making a Netflix movie.
“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,” explained Damon. “You spend most of your money on that one in the third act. That’s your finale. And now they’re like, ‘Can we get a big one in the first five minutes? We want people to stay. 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.’”
While that certainly continues to underscore the alarming direction entertainment is taking nowadays, Damon’s co-star chimed in with one of the streaming service’s recent releases, Adolescence, which went against the grain. By doing so, it didn’t just draw in viewers but also earned immense praise for its achievement.
“But then you look at Adolescence, and it didn’t do any of that shit,” Affleck argued. “And it’s fucking 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. There are long shots of the back of their heads. They get in the car, nobody says anything.”
You can stream both The Rip and Adolescence on Netflix right now, and if you want to see what else is heading your way this year, check out our list of the best new TV shows arriving in 2026 here.
