Ep 112 Part 1 - Don't Look Up
Could humanity actually stop an asteroid? How scientifically accurate is Don't Look Up?
Academy Award-winning director Adam McKay joins planetary scientist Dr. Amy Mainzer and producer Adam Frattofor an inside look at the making of Don't Look Up—one of the most scientifically grounded disaster films ever made.
Amy served as the film's science advisor, helping shape everything from the comet's trajectory to NASA's real planetary defense strategies. Together they reveal what Hollywood got right (and wrong), how asteroid deflection really works, why NASA created the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, and the real science behind DART, kinetic impactors, long-period comets, and existential threats from space.
Adam McKay also shares behind-the-scenes stories about working with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, balancing scientific accuracy with storytelling, and why making Don't Look Up required close collaboration between filmmakers and scientists.
Whether you're fascinated by astronomy, NASA, science fiction, asteroid impacts, or how great movies get made, this episode takes you behind the scenes of one of the most ambitious science films ever produced.
Topics include:
• The real science behind Don't Look Up• NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office• The DART asteroid mission• Kinetic impactors and asteroid deflection• Long-period comets• Hollywood and scientific accuracy• Adam McKay interview• Amy Mainzer• Planetary defense• Science fiction vs. real science
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