Why Leonardo DiCaprio Had A Problem With Meryl Streep's Don't Look Up Nude Scene
Film star Leonardo DiCaprio felt a nude scene in the doomsday satire "Don't Look Up" was too beneath legendary actor Meryl Streep, so he brought his concerns to writer-director Adam McKay.
In the 2021 Netflix film, DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence star as Dr. Randall Mindy and Kate Dibiasky, a pair of unknown scientists who make an Earth-shattering discovery: the planet is about to get blown to smithereens by a comet. When the two hit the trail to tell the media about it, everyone is too distracted to care.
Streep portrays U.S. President Janie Orlean, who, during the mid-credits scene, walks around naked with several other characters on a new planet for humanity. DiCaprio didn't like the idea of an actor as esteemed as Streep doing a nude scene, even though it wasn't actually her who bared it all.
"She is fearless. And yes, that is a body double," McKay told The Guardian about the scene. "But you know who had a problem with it? Leo. Leo just views Meryl as film royalty ... as such a special figure in the history of film."
Streep's character's back tattoo also bothered DiCaprio
Apart from the idea of Meryl Streep participating in a nude scene — in which President Janie Orlean's bare bottom is exposed — Adam McKay said Leonardo DiCaprio also objected to a tattoo positioned just above his co-star's posterior. The director had to assure the actor that Streep was merely playing a character and seemed on board with the creative decision. Apart from a double stepping in for shots revealing more explicit nudity, Streep participates in the scene with some well-coordinated shots that cover up her body yet imply she is naked.
"He didn't like seeing her with the lower back tattoo, walking for a second naked," McKay recalled. "He said something to me like: 'Do you really need to show that?' And I was like: 'It's President Orlean; it's not Meryl Streep.' But she didn't even blink. She didn't even bring it up."
While Streep didn't blink at the suggestion that her character was nude in "Don't Look Up," all the eyes belonging to the cast members were wide open and in awe of her presence, DiCaprio noted at the film's red carpet premiere. ""Everyone was on their toes when Meryl walked in, as we should be," DiCaprio told Access Hollywood. The actor did not bring up his objection to Streep's nude scene in the interview, though — that was apparently was a conversation he only shared with McKay.
"Don't Look Up," which serves as a climate change allegory examining the oblivious indifference to the threat by politicians, celebrities, and the general public, boasts an all-star cast that also includes Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, and Tyler Perry.