Ever since Netflix entered the original television game with the debut of “House of Cards” in February 2013, the term “binge-watching” has become the default word to describe the act of streaming multiple episodes of a series in a short period of time. The streaming giant singlehandedly popularized the act of binge-watching, but it turns out Netflix is not too fond of the word. Guy Pearce revealed on the Empire Film Podcast he was prohibited by Netflix to talk about binge-watching in interviews promoting his Netflix series “The Innocents.”
“I don’t think Netflix likes the term ‘binge,'” Pearce said when asked by Empire if viewers would binge-watch “The Innocents.” “When we did the promotion for [‘The Innocents’] in the [United States], we were strictly sort of instructed beforehand not to talk about ‘binge-watching.'”
While the term “binge-watching” refers specifically to television, the word has proven troublesome with some people since “binge” can also be used to describe disorders such as binge-eating and binge-drinking. Pearce did not disclose the exact reason Netflix is encouraging its talent not to speak about binge-watching during promotional interviews.
Pearce stars as Bendik “Ben” Halvorson in “The Innocents.” The series follows two teenagers (Sorcha Groundsell and Percelle Ascott) who runaway together and discover one of them has shapeshifting abilities. Pearce’s character is a medical expert who treats shapeshifting patients. The series debuted its eight-episode first season on August 24.
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