How can you make satire of reality when reality itself is stranger than fiction? And when reality feels flat-out depressing, is anyone in the mood to laugh? It’s what writer and director Adam McKay was thinking about while making Don’t Look Up. Adam’s latest film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as a pair of astronomers who are desperately trying to alert the world that a comet is about to end life on Earth as we know it—“trying” being the operative word here. In our conversation, Adam explains the delicate dance of making comedy and satire today, and the creative freedom in subverting your expectations.