Understand why villains don’t use iPhones in series and movies (Photo: Instagram)
If you’ve ever wondered why the bad guys in Hollywood productions are always using Android phones, it’s due to a bizarre Apple policy that prevents villains from using iPhones in series and movies.
Rumors about this clause first emerged when American filmmaker Rian Johnson discussed the issue in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2020 while talking about his work on the mystery film Knives Out.
“Apple, they let you use iPhones in movies. But – and this is crucial – if you’re watching a mystery movie, the bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera,” he explained at the time.
The topic faded a bit over the years, until in an August 2024 interview on the Wrap Drinks podcast, Heidi Koleto, a props expert, added fuel to the fire.
“Once I received a script where an actress was supposed to be looking at her phone while driving drunk and crashing the car. They wanted to see a text message appear,” she recalled.
“I had to say, ‘We can’t do this. We’ve established this character with an Apple phone. We can’t let her drive drunk and crash while looking at an iPhone, they’ll never work with me again.'”
It’s worth noting that Apple has never confirmed or denied the existence of the “villain clause,” but it is confirmed that the tech company can have a say in how it’s represented during the production of a film or series.
Photo and video: Instagram @appletv. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
