Billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were role models for a character in the Netflix film Don’t Look Up. But the biggest inspiration was Tesla CEO Elon Musk. However, that’s not necessarily a positive thing. The actor thinks the super-rich are “dangerous”.
Elon Musk role model for “Peter Isherwell”
Mark Rylance plays Peter Isherwell, the CEO of a major tech company and supporter of the President (played by Meryl Streep) in Don’t Look Up. He focuses on his technology and takes the upcoming asteroid attack just as little seriously as most of the other characters. At first glance, it is clear that Peter Isherwell is a caricature of the super-rich.
Actor Mark Rylance tells the Hollywood Reporter that his portrayal was inspired by real-life super-rich people like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and co. Above all, Elon Musk was a role model for the character:
“I looked at all these guys. […] I’ve read Elon Musk’s book – about half of it. But I’ve certainly thought a lot about how people think that technology is the greatest thing in the universe. That there is no other higher power and that we can overcome anything that nature throws at us.”
Mark Rylance
In the Netflix film, Mark Rylance’s character insists on using his experimental technology and rockets to save Earth from the impending asteroid impact. He relies on that alone – and it goes horribly wrong.
“I think they are dangerous”
Mark Rylance incorporated his research into Elon Musk and Co. into his portrayal in “Don’t Look Up”:
“There’s this scene where [Peter Isherwell] gets upset when Leonardo’s character thinks he’s just a businessman. These people have very high-minded ideas about what they are doing. They don’t think of themselves as bad people, quite the opposite. That’s the impression you get from Elon Musk. They think they will save humanity. I think they are dangerous.”
Mark Rylance
Haven’t you seen Don’t Look Up yet? You can only watch the original Netflix film on the popular streaming platform. A Netflix series is currently storming the global charts there, in which a zombie virus is terrorizing humanity.
By the way: Elon Musk’s company Neuralink is currently being criticized for treating animals badly.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter