Tim Robbins Doubts That Netflix Is the ‘Future of Cinema’

Tim Robbins has never had any trouble speaking his mind and now it seems his sights are set on Netflix. While speaking in a recent interview with The Guardian, the actor, writer, director, and activist decried the streaming titan’s hold on the industry and how it’s content minimizes the importance of cinema.

“You go on Netflix right now, you see what films are coming out and you tell me that that’s the future of cinema?” Robbins said. “We’re in big trouble.”

It may seem like Robbins is taking aim at the streaming industrial complex, but considering his current job as the big bad on the Apple TV+ series “Silo,” Netflix specifically and what it contributes (or doesn’t contribute) to the entertainment eco-system seem to be a bone-of-contention for him. Robbins didn’t make clear why he doesn’t approve of Netflix, but he did share earlier in the interview how he’s interested in work that examines humanity in a honest, intriguing way.

“[Making sense of] the political moment, that’s a little boring for me,” said Robbins. “But the social moment, I’m always fascinated by. What the movements of cultures are, how they react to the challenges of their day.”

Pointing to his role on “Silo” as the head of IT and eventually the new mayor of the facility, pulling all the strings behind the scenes, Robbins shared how the show gave him an opportunity to explore themes and personalities that he’d been curious to understand.

“I‘ve always wondered about what goes on inside of someone who has the responsibility of leadership,” he said. “How they rationalize actions seemingly antithetical to their mission or belief system because of the larger picture; the big lie for the greater good. We’ve gone into wars on this philosophy for years. So I’ve always been fascinated by what it does to a person’s soul.”

Robbins first read the script for the pilot in the summer of 2021 while the world was slowly coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and, in seeing how the plot related to current circumstances, signed on shortly after.

“It was like a gift, a blessing, as an artist, as someone who wants to do something that reflects the anxieties and fears of our own society,” Robbins said. “It seems very close to what we were dealing with on a daily basis at that time — the lack of transparency of information, the people being told by the government to limit their freedom for the good of all.”

Season 2 of “Silo” is currently streaming on Apple TV+ with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.