Image Source: FreebieMNL, Netflix
Sandra Bullock is expressing her utmost gratitude to the OTT platform, Netflix, for giving actors an opportunity to not only keep working but also explore different types of genres.
In her recent interaction with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress, whose recent release, ‘The Unforgivable ’received praise and critical appreciation, was released on the streaming platform. In the movie, Sandra Bullock is portraying the character of Ruth Slater, who has just been released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime. Post her release, she is attempting to re-enter society and to put her life back together in the world but society refuses to forgive her past.
The Unforgivable is not Sandra Bullock’s first release on Netflix, as in 2018, her critically acclaimed ‘Bird Box’, a apocalyptic thriller, was at the number one spot for the most-watched movie on Netflix until Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds’ starrer ‘Red Notice’dethroned it.
During her interaction, she said, "They’re good to artists. They’re good to filmmakers. If it weren’t for Netflix, a lot of people wouldn’t be working. Their stories wouldn’t be told. Who would think that I, as a woman, would still be working at this point? I would have been out in the cow pasture. It’s true." Sandra Bullock has immense respect for the great craft and storytelling and she went on to explain that how brilliant stories like ‘Squid Game’ wouldn’t see the success they saw if it wasn’t for Netflix. She said, "That’s one of the bigger ones, but I’ve seen more work from other countries told by other nationalities, and we never would have had that 10 years ago, ever. It brings people together in a way that really, you know, we’re getting more and more divided, and yet, we have the streamers that are able to blend our stories together and go, look, same story, just different."
Netflix has been a real savior for a lot of people in the past couple of years, especially as the pandemic hit and theatres were shut down for a long period of time. Not only Netflix, but also other streaming platforms such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus+, HBO Max, Apple TV, and others have demonstrated that they not only provide a platform for actors to showcase their craft or tell their stories to the world, but also make it easier for actors to reach a larger audience. The bigger the platform, the more content there is for the audience to engage with.
Chris Spicer, head of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP’s entertainment and media law practice, said, "Broadly speaking, the streaming model does have the potential to transfer more of the long-term economic upside from the talent pool—the producers and talent—to the streamer." One such example is the Oscar-winning movie, ‘Roma’, which was a black-and-white movie entirely made in Spanish by Alfonso Cuaron and was based on his childhood in Mexico City. Only a few Hollywood Studios would have made it, but because it was released on Netflix, the movie reached almost 190 countries and a hundred theatres as well, which eventually led the maker to win an Academy Award. More examples include Nomadland and Minari, both of which went on to win awards and receive critical acclaim for their story, acting, and everything else.
Actors including Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Al Pacino, Mark Ruffalo, etc., have made their digital debuts and are grateful for the response they have received from the audience. One of the reasons why streaming platforms help actors, directors, or artists, in general, is that they remove the middleman distribution and offer a competitive package to the audience with commercial-free, on-demand content at an affordable price.
For Marvel Studios, the move to explore some of the characters from the universe and make an entire series about them for the audience, and releasing it on a streaming platform like Disney Plus, was considered a smart move. Working for streaming platforms could be a great idea in these uncertain times, such as the pandemic and third wave.
Thus, comments from successful and popular actress Sandra Bullock stating that, 'If it weren’t for Netflix, a lot of people wouldn’t be working', makes a lot of sense and is also a smart decision from the artists who want to explore their craft and reach out to masses.
