Hollywood director Adam McKay on LA wildfires “catastrophe” – and the enduring resonance of climate change blockbuster ‘Don’t Look Up’
The comedian who co-wrote ‘Anchorman’ and executive-produced ‘Succession’ talks to NME about music, eco-gaslighting and why he set up an entire production studio to call out disinformation “bullshit”
Adam McKay, writer and director of Netflix blockbuster comedy Don’t Look Up, says he’s devastated for the city of Los Angeles and its world-famous filmmaking community as emergency workers continue to battle a series of deadly wildfires.
“We’re heartbroken. Afraid. Sad,” said McKay, a longtime LA resident. “It’s hard for people to comprehend the scale and scope of the disaster we’re in.”
The blazes, now raging for more than a week, have led to the deaths of 25 people, destroyed approximately 12,000 structures and forced the evacuation of 180,000 residents from their homes.
Don’t Look Up, the story of two astronomers (played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence) desperately trying to warn humanity about a world-ending comet, is an allegory for climate change – a satirical and darkly funny critique of the inaction of governments, media and business to tackle its threat.
Meanwhile, the real-world effects of climate change have been plain to see for those following recent events in California. It’s just one example. Humans burning fossil fuels is heating the planet. The result is a changing climate – and an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather events including extreme heat waves, drought, wildfires, storms and floods.
Since the release of Don’t Look Up – still the second most-watched film of all time on Netflix – McKay has dedicated a significant portion of his career to telling stories surrounding climate change. He founded the non-profit organisation Yellow Dot Studios, a “production studio devoted to fighting climate disinformation and inaction.”
“Climate breakdown just hits everything” he tells NME, as the Oscar and BAFTA award winner also discusses his bid to gift a song he’s written to the biggest musicians in the world – and how he’ll get his next project to viewers, even if “hyper-corporatised” Hollywood is unwilling to finance it.
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Do you think real-world disasters, such as the LA fires, make a difference to how people perceive the threat of climate change?
“For sure. We have a not-for-profit climate studio called Yellow Dot, and our sole goal is to call out Big Oil and associated industries bullshit. We’ve noticed that when these calamities happen, which sadly are coming too fast and too frequently, there is a moment where some people get that climate change isn’t something for our grandkids. We are in an emergency right now. We just wish it didn’t take 10,000 homes being destroyed and whole cities wiped off the map for some people to get what’s going on.”
“Climate warming from fossil fuel companies is so huge and widespread it’s almost beyond our comprehension. That’s why the oil companies have had an easy time creating doubt, because it seems like a bad sci-fi movie. In fact, The Day After Tomorrow is a great example. I encourage everyone to watch that movie. Some of the timeframes are tightened up, but the overall kind of idea of it is accurate.
“You asked about the sign… [Climate breakdown] It means everything. We have broken the stabilised climate. So, Hollywood goes away. History goes away. Sports go away. It just hits everything. One of the hard things for people right now is that we’re used to processing these unimaginable calamities as one-off events. They’re not. From the extreme flooding in Mecca last week to the huge fires in Africa right now or the berserk heatwave in South America… The only other time I think we’ve ever dealt with a full planetary issue like this is nuclear weapons.”
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How long until we see a show as massive as Succession that’s about the people that have knowingly led us into climate catastrophe?
“Wow. So I have a script that I’ve written, a climate-based script, that deals with the coalition of oil, government and media. It’s through different lenses: sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic. How will I get that made? There’s no question, with the hyper-financialisation and corporatisation of Hollywood, it’s way harder to get that made right now. I also think there are creative ways to still [get projects like that made], and you’re starting to see that. I mean, Europe isn’t quite as far gone as the US. I think you’re going to see a lot of creative people – filmmakers, musicians, writers – start to lean towards Europe as a way to finance and distribute their projects.”