Willem Dafoe may be remembered by the general public as the Green Goblin’s Spider-Man villain, but he is also known for his willingness to turn to challenging, unusual films as an actor. After appearances in works such as The Lighthouse and Inside, he can be seen as the Dr. Frankenstein Variation in Poor Things from January 18, 2024. Now he cast a critical eye on the streaming world.
Willem Dafoe explains: Home cinema streaming with Netflix and Co. spoils the love of films
Willem Dafoe has been working in Hollywood for a long time and therefore has a lot of experience in the film business. However, he emphasized to the Guardian that he considered himself… “lousy source” for an overview of the changes in the film industry in the age of Netflix and Co. But anyone who hears or reads his statements cannot avoid recognizing some truths in them. Because Dafoe observed that the People watch films differently now, at home than in the cinema:
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In Inside, Willem Dafoe stays inside
This is tragic because the attention people pay at home is not the same. More difficult films, more challenging films cannot play as well there, because we have an audience that isn’t really paying attention. This is a big deal! I miss the social aspect with which films fit into the world. You go to the movies and then to dinner and talk about it so the word spreads. People today go home and say: ‘Hey darling, let’s watch something stupid tonight!’ Then they jump through five minutes of ten different movies and say, ‘Forget it. Let’s go to bed.’ Where is the discourse?
In the long term, this problem of domestic film consumption will also affect the way films are produced on Netflix and other streaming services, Willem Dafoe explains further:
They don’t make films the same way they used to. They are produced by toy companies and other companies. […]. Streaming is becoming a monopoly, because they take over the production and distribution. So it’s very complicated.
At 68, Willem Dafoe will definitely not be a streaming fan anymore and many of us, if we are honest with ourselves, will definitely find a lot of truth in his words. After Poor Things, the character star can be seen in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2 in cinemas this year.
Podcast: The best cinema films of 2023
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