Leonardo DiCaprio Was Concerned About Meryl Streep’s Nude Scene In ‘Don’t Look Up’ Because She’s “Film Royalty”

Adam McKay has made a name for himself as one of the premier filmmakers working today. It seems that once he made the jump from straight comedy to more satirical work with “The Big Short” and his more recent films, he’s become one of the biggest Oscar favorites each time he releases a film. This gives his casts confidence that they can go big and do whatever is asked of them with each film. You know, like when McKay wants Meryl Streep to do a nude scene in the latest film, “Don’t Look Up.” 

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As revealed in a new interview with The Guardian, Adam McKay talks about how surprised he was to learn just how fearless Meryl Streep is when it comes to big risks in films. He mentions this after he’s asked about a nude scene in “Don’t Look Up,” which features Streep’s character, who is the President of the United States. And while the actress wasn’t concerned at all (there was a body double for the scene), one of her co-stars was concerned due to her place in film history.

“She is fearless,” said McKay about Meryl Streep and the nude scene. “And yes, that is a body double.”

He continued, “But you know who had a problem with it? Leo [DiCaprio]. Leo just views Meryl as film royalty … although maybe royalty is not a compliment … but as such a special figure in the history of film. He didn’t like seeing her with the lower back tattoo, walking for a second naked. 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.”

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It’s sweet to hear that Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the most famous people in the world, is concerned about Meryl Streep’s legacy. DiCaprio is a celebrated actor that many would put up there with Streep in the conversation about the best performers in film, but yet he still has reverence for his Oscar-winning co-star.

If nothing else, it does speak highly to the confidence of Streep that she’s willing to go there for the joke and her legacy in the industry that even DiCaprio was worried about the scene. Regardless, it does seem as if the scene made the final cut and will be part of “Don’t Look Up” when it hits Netflix on December 24.