Are you planning to pursue any particular projects next, like that, or “The Avenging Silence,” or something else you’ve had in the creative boiler for a while?
There are many ideas. I’ve spent a couple of years now building my own streaming platform: ByNWR— .com, as they say. That has been very interesting to me; to build that foundation and see what it has become and continuing to grow that opportunity.
The shifting streaming tides in the industry: a lot of filmmakers have different thoughts on where things are heading. Do you really think film is dying and the future will be driven by TV?
You have to understand; nothing dies. That’s just the headline on some trade. It’s a soundbite. Nothing dies; it mutates. Is cinema the high point for my kids to experience culture? No. It’s not. They have their own canvas, which is this [picks up his smartphone and shows it], and they have their own tools—which I almost can’t even begin to comprehend how to understand. When my youngest daughter is allowed to have a phone—she does Tik Toks, literally, she edits, shoots and performs in it. She just made a movie. So, I think it’s more about creativity; what’s apparent is that creativity is alive, and creativity has options. There will always be cinemas. And I love cinemas, but they will be a stop along the way, because streaming—as of now—is the destination of everything, and that’s why larger enterprises are all gearing up for that; because the battleground for entertainment will be fought on the internet.
I’m curious, the show seems to have a bleak worldview, but despite that you see hope; as you said, nothing dies and there’s always rebirth.
I think there is an enormous amount of hope. As Jena Malone declares in Episode 10, it’s the new “dawn of innocence.”
It’s quite a monologue. Do you feel you accomplished what you set out to say with the series then?
I think that it’s important to remind people, especially younger generations, that the illusion of success —which this industry is very good at portraying—doesn’t necessarily equal success as we feel it. We live in a world where we see success, but it doesn’t always mean that it is successful, and we have to remember creativity. Doing what you want to do, the way you want to do it, is essentially the ultimate goal, and no one should ever forget that. I’ve always felt like I’ve been pretty clearly about always being like, “This is how I feel it, and this is what I can do.”
“Too Old To Die Young” is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.
