Roger Waters has explained his enduring dislike for mainstream Hollywood action films, singling out stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis for portraying what he calls "shallow" and "cardboard" characters. The Pink Floyd co-founder's comments reflect his long-standing preference for narrative-driven storytelling, a sensibility that shaped his songwriting and helped produce some of the band's most acclaimed concept albums, including Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.

Waters traced this artistic evolution back to the disappointing 1968 track "Point Me at the Sky", after which the band moved away from imitating Syd Barrett's experimental style towards fuller narrative concepts. Bandmate Nick Mason praised Dark Side of the Moon as their "most complete album", while The Wall, largely Waters' own creation, tackled the pitfalls of fame through an intricate storyline later adapted into a film. Waters said he needs "real stories" with fully realised characters to engage him, which is why he has "couldn't be less interested" in the genre of action films typified by those three actors.