Don't Look Up Easter Eggs Make Meryl Streep's President Even Worse
Meryl Streep’s President Orlean is the science-skeptical head of state in Don’t Look Up that dismisses the plausibility of an apocalypse, and Easter eggs in the film reveal the true extent of her iniquity. Orlean is one of the film’s primary antagonists: she possesses the power to respond to the danger posed by a comet discovered by PhD candidate Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) but neglects the claims of her and tenured professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio). Orlean is a president that is focused on the power of her position, and how to retain it in the upcoming midterms, rather than the responsibility she has for her country.
When Dibiasky and Mindy finally receive an audience with the president to discuss the severity of the comet’s probable impact on Earth, they are met with hostility from Orlean and her pretentious son and chief of staff, Jason (Jonah Hill). Their warnings are only appreciated upon approval by “Ivy Leaguers,” and only acted upon when it suits Orlean’s political strategy. Orlean seems more like a tycoon than a president, and small details in the film reveal the extent to which she is an awfully inappropriate head of state.
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The Oval Office occupied by Orlean is authentic in appearance yet furnished with Easter eggs that illuminate her tyrannical personality. Bookshelves are filled with copies of her book as if a meeting with astronomers is a potential marketing opportunity. The office is further embellished with images of notorious past presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. This highlights both her character's shallow, economically motivated opportunism, but also her questionable choice of
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