“Shawshank Redemption” Star Tim Robbins Thinks 'the Future of Cinema' Is Bleak Because of Streaming Services

Tim Robbins

Robbins noted that his film 'Shawshank Redemption' only got recognition until after it was released on 'VHS' and broadcasted on TV, which exposed people to it

Tim Robbins is getting candid about his thoughts on the future of the entertainment industry.

The Shawshank Redemption star, 66, shared in an interview with The Guardian that he thinks streaming platforms’ system of recommending viewers what to watch based on their algorithms will only do more harm than good in the future.

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

He then pointed to his own iconic film Shawshank Redemptionas an example, noting that despite getting “good reviews” and Academy Award nominations, “nobody saw it.” However, he said that due to VHS and it being broadcasted on the Turner Classic Movies channel, that all “changed,” as more people saw it and it became a “beloved movie.”

Related: Tim Robbins Is 'Open to the Idea' of a Film Reunion with 'The Shawshank Redemption' Costar Morgan Freeman

“It remains on top of IMDb as the most favoured movie of all time,” he said. “So I know that a quality movie, a quality television show, will last. Whether it’s a hit or not is irrelevant compared to what people are going to think about it in 10, 15, 20 years.”

The film celebrated its 30th anniversary in September. In honor of the milestone, director Frank Darabont revealed to The Daily Beast that Robbins — who played Andy Dufresne, a man wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and incarcerated at the titular Shawshank Prison — went to great lengths to embody the role. He said he even went so far as to put himself in “solitary confinement” in an effort to understand what his character was experiencing.

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“Not overnight though,” the director explained. “After an hour or two he said, ‘OK, that’s enough’ and I don’t blame him.”

He also shared that the Bull Durham star shot the iconic scene of him escaping Shawshank by crawling through a sewage pipe at the end of the film.

“... We were out in this horrible little creek that was filled with cow poop,” he recalled. “They had to dam the creek to get the water level up and pour sterilizing stuff in there so Tim wouldn’t get some horrible disease.”

Related: Tim Robbins On Pressures His Kids Face As Actors: 'It Doesn't Help When Both Your Parents Are Oscar Winners'

“Actors can be real troopers sometimes because sliding out of that pipe into that muck was so gross,” he added. “To convey that incredible moment while covered in cow urine? It’s amazing.”

He said that the dedication to the film was ultimately worth it as it “really piqued people’s interest,” and proved to be a movie that withstood the test of time.

Darabont noted his classic film "is a movie about hope. It’s about redemption and how we can improve the world around us."

"I’ve gotten letters from people who have seen the movie and it changed their lives. That’s a profound legacy.”