Character page for Don't Look Up.
open/close all folders
Scientists
Randall Mindy
Dr. Randall Mindy
Played by: Leonardo DiCaprio
A tenured astronomy professor at Michigan State, who goes on a press tour with his grad student Kate Dibiasky to convince people to act on the comet.
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: Downplayed. The fame he gets as a result of the comet's discovery goes a little to his head, causing him to cheat on his wife and support Orlean's incompetent administration and Isherwell's apocalyptically risky plan. However, it's clear at all points that he's trying his best to save the planet. He also ultimately gets his head on straight and starts speaking out against Orlean, Isherwell, and their cronies.
- The Cassandra: To the higher-ups in the United States as well as the media. He is insistent that the comet will destroy everything, but no one takes him seriously until it is too late.
- Classical Anti-Hero: He's a Nervous Wreck who gives into some petty vices, and is altogether not a particularly impressive person. However, he's still one of the few genuinely heroic individuals (apparently on the planet) who's actually trying to save humanity from their own greed and apathy.
- Cosmic Plaything: Seems to be this as every attempt he makes at trying to warn Earth or everything else around him (from Isherwell aborting the mission to his own machines blowing up) backfires.
- The Hero Dies: A common trait of Leonardo DiCaprio. After spending most of the movie going to great lengths to stop Comet Dibiasky, he spends one last dinner with his family and friends.
- Humans Are Flawed: He is a Nervous Wreck who easily gives in to pressure and temptations of being in the public spotlight, including lending his name to dubious ventures and starting an affair with a news anchor. On the other hand, he tries to do his best given the situation he found himself in, doesn't hesitate to give credit for the discovery to his Ph.D. student (as a more sleazy researcher might have), and makes amends with his family before the comet hits. Together this paints a picture of a man who generally knows what is the right thing to do, but often lacks the strength to follow through.
- Ignored Expert: He correctly predicts the destruction of Earth, but his warnings are not heeded because...well, let’s face it, Earth is full of idiots.
- Measuring the Marigolds: When he first meets the President to alert her of the discovery, Randall gets bugged up in scientific technicalities and struggles to convey the danger to characters who are not so mathematically-minded. Dr. Oglethorpe instead simply dubs the comet a "planet killer", and later calls Mindy out on this explicitly.
- Nervous Wreck: Has crippling anxiety for which he takes an array of medications, and initially tends to crumble at the thought of being in high-pressure situations.
- Rage Breaking Point: After being surrounded by incompetent politicians and corrupt businessmen for the past six months, the mild-mannered Dr. Mindy finally snaps and has an epic meltdown on live TV, calling out the lies, incompetence, and greed of the government and corporations who are trying to use the comet for its natural resources and the good publicity it would bring when they should be focusing on trying to stop it from destroying the world. He also rants at the public who are apathetic to the comet and those who outright deny it even exists.
- "Sesame Street" Cred: In-Universe, Mindy becomes a recurring presence on a Sesame Street-esque kids' show that airs on the fictional PBN.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: He's a professor wearing glasses.
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: He is so handsome people are more interested in that fact when he's trying to warn them that a meteor is heading towards the Earth that could potentially kill them all.
- Surrounded by Idiots: He feels this way toward the people on The Daily Rip and the Orlean administration.
Kate Dibiasky
Kate Dibiasky
Played by: Jennifer Lawrence
A PhD candidate from Michigan State under Professor Randall Mindy's supervision who discovers the comet.
- Butt-Monkey: Kate discovers the comet only to be blown off by the White House who don't consider her a serious source and she's just a Ph.D. Candidate from Michigan State, is made a national laughingstock and meme when she loses it on TV by telling everyone that they're going to die, is repeatedly mocked and belittled by the idiotic Jason, forced to quit her studies to take a job at a liquor store, and is even duped into paying for free snacks.
- The Cassandra: Best summed by the scene where she goes on The Daily Rip and angrily tells the preppy reporters that "We’re all gonna die!"
- Et Tu, Brute?: She experiences this when her parents refuse to let her into their house because they agree with Isherwell's plan to mine the comet for valuable minerals, which they believe will lead to new jobs and an age of prosperity for America.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: She is dismissed from Michigan State as a result of her constant attempts to blow the whistle on the impending Comet of Doom despite several gag orders from the POTUS herself. Because of this, no respectable company would hire her, and even her own parents have abandoned her. As a result, she is forced to take a job as a cashier at an alcohol store. The silver lining is that this is how she meets Yule.
- Fiery Redhead: She easily gets impassioned and angry when trying to convey the threat of the comet bearing her name, to the point that she becomes infamous for a breakdown on live TV early on.
- Hanlon's Razor: She lampshades to Yule and his gang that the higher-ups who antagonized her are too stupid to be evil as they believe they are.
- The Hero Dies: After spending a great deal of the movie trying to convince everybody to "Just Look Up", Kate ends up becoming the victim of a comet that bears her surname.
- Hobo Gloves: The opening scene shows her wearing those while preparing a toast.
- Ignored Expert: Like Randall, she has to put up with a society of super duper dummies who don’t take her warnings seriously.
- Memetic Mutation: Happens in-universe after her TV meltdown.
- Mistaken for Gay: She's a straight woman who happens to wear a dyed undercut mullet and a nose stud (popular fashion statements among queer youth), not that this stops the assumptions. She's hesitant to have dinner with her boyfriend's mother because she made a comment about Kate looking like a lesbian.
- Mistaken for Insane: After she reaches her breaking point on live television, the world thinks she's crazy and makes fun of her.
- Nervous Wreck: Kate initially seems the more outwardly stable of the two main scientists, but at one point, she steals Randall's anxiety medication and reaches her breaking point on live television as she sees the anchors indifferent to the impending apocalypse.
- Pretty Fly for a White Guy: A female variant as she enjoys rap with her first scene having her listening to and quietly singing along to the Wu-Tang Clan.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: What ultimately leads to her becoming a couple with Yule, a genuinely kind and considerate person who really admires her.
- The Stoner: Is shown smoking pot on several occasions.
Teddy Oglethrope
Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe
Played by: Rob Morgan
The head of Planetary Defense at NASA who supports Randall and Kate's findings.
- The Hero Dies: Becomes a victim of Comet Dibiasky.
- Kind Hearted Cat Lover: He's shown to own a cat; one that is very relaxed around and close to him, no less!
- Layman's Terms: Invoked. Though he is a capable astronomer himself, Oglethorpe is well aware not everyone has a PhD, and adjusts his style of communication accordingly. During the meeting in the Oval Office, Mindy gets bogged down in scientific jargon few can understand, Teddy simply refers to the comet as a "planet killer" to get the point of the danger across.
- Only Sane Employee: Dr. Oglethorpe of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office is the only sane employee for the entire U.S. government! He helps Randall and Kate from the get-go while everyone else in the Orlean administration is an Obstructive Bureaucrat, a Jerkass, or both.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: As a NASA higher-up, he's an astronomer with a lot more 'pull' than Randall, but he stands by Randall and Kate throughout the film.
- Scary Black Man: Parodied. When Teddy is surrounded by police he begins trying to explain that his skin is just the result of his ancestors being from closer to the equator.
- Token Black Friend: Not as focused on as the other primary scientists; his role is essentially to add legitimacy to Randall and Kate's claims, but he becomes a loyal friend to them to the end.
Dr. Calder
Dr. Calder
Played by: Hettienne Park
The head of NASA.
- Fall Guy: Though initially supportive of Randall and Kate's conclusions, the White House has her disparage their claims after they leak it to the press (because the White House did not want to help at the time). When Orlean does a 180, realizing she can use a response against the comet to help her in the midterms, Calder agrees to resign immediately.
- Happily Married: With her husband at the end where they watch the comet come down to the Earth helplessly, clutching each other affectionately and protectively.
- Not That Kind of Doctor: Inverted. Randall derisively remarks that she isn't qualified to lead NASA, because she's not an astronomer or a scientist in the STEM field — she's a medical doctor (specifically an anesthesiologist) who got her position by being a big donor for president Orlean.
United States Government and Military
Janie Orlean
President Janie Orlean
Played by: Meryl Streep
The President of the United States.
- 0% Approval Rating: She loses her base when they realize that she was lying about the comet not existing, as well as the BASH crew after the mission fails.
- Asshole Victim: Her death by a "bronteroc" in the Distant Epilogue wasn't a pretty way to go out. But given that her actions throughout the film helped contribute to the asteroid colliding with Earth as well as in general being an obnoxiously corrupt politician, it's hard to argue she didn't have it coming.
- Corrupt Politician: She appointed many of her wealthy backers into positions of influence throughout various American institutions, such as Dr. Calder, whether they were qualified or not. President Orlean also abuses her lofty position to favor companies and groups she has ties to, such as BASH. She also demonizes any who dare to oppose her for any reason. Janie Orlean clearly believes in only two things: money and loyalty (to her specifically).
- Dirty Coward: Instead of dying for her country (and by extension, her homeworld), she escapes to another planet via the BASH Sleeper Ship, but ends up paying the ultimate price for her survival at the beak of a bronteroc.
- The Dragon: A Truth in Television example; despite nominally holding more power than Isherwell, Orlean is subject to his whims as he is one of her administration's top donors, ultimately putting him in charge of determining humanity's fate.
- Enemy Mine: Early on, she is goaded by Randall, Kate, and the others into deflecting the comet because it would benefit her in the midterm elections. This doesn't last at all.
- Entitled Bitch: Despite having spent the entirety of the film slandering and belittling Randall and his allies, she still has the gall to invite him on the BASH Sleeper Ship. Randall, understandably, turns her offer down.
- Establishing Character Moment: It's quite telling that in her very first scene, she gives the heroes twenty minutes to explain the situation, hinting that she is not a very patient woman.
- Hate Sink: The audience can’t hate Comet Dibiasky, as it is a force of nature, but they can hate Orlean for being a complete idiot whose actions lead to humanity’s mass extinction. She treats the heroes with apathy, is revealed to have an affair with the sheriff, agrees with Isherwell’s plan to mine the comet instead of destroying it like in the first attempt, starts a smear campaign against Kate and Randall in response to their “Just Look Up” movement, is shown to have a callous disregard for rules and responsibilities and cuts China, India and Russia off from the deflection mission. She finally accepts the gravity of the situation once the BASH BEADs fail to completely obliterate the comet, but instead of going down with the planet, she escapes in a Sleeper Ship with 2,000 other people just to save her pathetic hide and to add to that, she leaves her own son behind by accident. But the karma gods are not mocked. In the film’s epilogue, she ends up becoming a bronteroc’s lunch.
- Head-in-the-Sand Management: One of the major themes for the movie is how badly Orlean handles real threats. Running a smear campaign against Kate, Randall, and anyone who says that Comet Dibiasky is real blows up in Janie’s face when one supporter sees the comet for himself and everyone else follows suit. Additionally, she decides to make another go at destroying the comet again… at the Point of No Return.
- Idiot Ball: Orlean’s overall stupidity regarding Comet Dibiasky, as well as leaving Isherwell to take charge of the operation ends up dooming the world.
- Implausible Deniability: Even after attempting to deal with the comet the first time, Orlean denies to the public that the comet even exists just so that the BASH operation can go ahead without any backlash.
- I Reject Your Reality: Her response to everything Mindy and Kate say to her.
- Jerkass: Orlean is a very unpleasant person behind her cheery demeanour. Beyond her Head-in-the-Sand Management, penchant for corruption and loving her power way too much, she instigates a smear campaign against two scientists who are morally more intelligent than she is.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: President Janie Orlean is responsible for humanity's extinction, but she manages to avoid Earth's destruction by catching a ride to a new planet that's hospitable to humans. This luck very quickly runs out however when she's almost immediately killed by the wildlife there. As noted under Karma Houdini, there's a good chance that her son Jason and Peter Isherwell will meet their own fitting ends, but if it does happen, it's not onscreen, unlike this case.
- Lady in a Power Suit: The female POTUS is introduced in a bright red, tailored blazer with a matching skirt.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: She is essentially a gender-swapped Donald Trump, with her son Jason standing in for Trump's own children and his son-in-law (and senior advisor) Jared Kushner. She also visually and behaviorally resembles Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a right-wing Democrat infamous in certain circles for her corporate ties and obstructionist nature, as well as Hillary Clinton, especially given the latter's failed ambition to become the first female POTUS (there's even a photo in the Oval Office that shows Orlean hugging Bill Clinton).
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Her Apocalyptic Gag Order is the reason why no one does anything about the impending Comet of Doom for a good portion of the movie.
- Oh, Crap!: More like "Oh, shit!", when she realizes she left Jason behind.
- Our Presidents Are Different: She starts off as President Buffoon, but becomes President Corrupt/Scheming.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Janie completely forgets about Jason when she and the other rich folks are getting into the shuttles to avoid the comet's impact, leaving her son doomed to his fate while he believes that she's eventually coming back.
- Pet the Dog: She offers Dr. Mindy two seats on Isherwell's Sleeper Ship so that he and one other person can join her and her allies in outliving the rest of humanity. Mindy refuses in solidarity with his doomed family and friends.
- Silver Vixen: As played by Meryl Streep, President Orlean is a very attractive blonde who showcases a very attractive, shapely body in pantsuits and even in the nude despite being well over 50 years old.
- Too Dumb to Live: At one point Orlean is seen smoking in front of a "Flammable" sign. It doesn't kill her right there, but serves as something of a Foreshadowing when she is killed by the animal she equally blithely approaches on the faraway exoplanet.
- Trumplica: President Orlean shares a lot of similarities to Donald Trump, as it is implied she was in show business before going into politics, her closest advisor in the White House is her incompetent son, her presidency is riddled with scandals, but at the same time, she has an uncanny ability to get her base riled up to the point of rejecting the reality in front of their own eyes. Her scandal-ridden SCOTUS nominee also echoes the controversies surrounding two of Trump's appointees, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett (particularly the former, given the scandals are sexual in nature).
Jason Orlean
Jason Orlean
Played by: Jonah Hill
Played by: Christophe Lemoine (European French)
Janie's son and incompetent Chief of Staff.
- Abhorrent Admirer: He tries to plant a kiss on Kate, only for her to shove him away in disgust.
- Asshole Victim: Is forgotten by his own mother and left waiting for her as the world ends. In The Stinger it's shown he survived and is possibly now the last man on Earth.
- Functional Addict: Downplayed - during the launch sequence to nuke the comet, he loudly declares he's taken some ecstasy, and he's implied to do others, but doesn't appear to be struggling or in bad shape, but he's still an incompetent moron.
- I Want My Mommy!: Alone on Earth After the End, he is last seen desperately calling for his mother, who had already fled the planet with her wealthy backers. It would be tragic if he wasn't fully complicit in the failure of his mother's administration to prevent the disaster.
- Hate Sink: We can’t rage at Comet Dibiasky because it is a force of nature, but we can rage at Jason for being a super dumbass who treats the heroes with apathy and doesn’t take the threat seriously. Depending on your interpretation, it can be hard to feel sorry for him after his mother and Isherwell abandon him to his fate.
- Hidden Disdain Reveal: After the "Don't Look Up" supporters and voters they're trying to court turn on him and his mother, he tells them that they're a bunch of stupid rednecks.
- Incest Subtext: Jason Orlean, already quite the Momma's Boy, frequently makes rather disturbing sexual comments about his mother, who always seems flattered by them. This weirds out everyone overhearing them.
- Ivy League for Everyone: He openly makes fun of Randall and Kate for their Michigan State credentials despite the university having a very prestigious astronomy program, and doesn't take their claims seriously until they're corroborated by Ivy League scientists.
- Karma Houdini: Downplayed, almost to the point of being averted. He's seemingly the only person to survive the comet but he's still trapped on a desolate planet with no one else around. Even if he could survive both the environment and his own stupidity, both of which are extremely unlikely, he's still all alone.
- Momma's Boy: He obviously adores his mother and follows her initiatives and directives to the letter. It's not quite as endearing when said mother is the POTUS and he's the incompetent Chief of Staff, however.
- Nepotism: Probably the most obvious case in Orlean's administration. His mother has made him her Chief of Staff, despite him being a lazy, egoistical Manchild, who makes no attempt to hide that he possesses absolutely none of the skills, patience, and perspective that is required for the position.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He combines aspects of Donald Trump's children. As the resident Trumplica's incompetent, yet prominent, son, he's a stand-in for Don Jr. and Eric; as a relative appointed to a high position in the administration despite being completely unqualified for it, he stands in for Jared Kushner, Trump's son in law; Trump's repeated comments about his daughter Ivanka's beauty are echoed here as well (though reversed, with Jason repeatedly making comments about his mother's attractiveness).
- Sole Survivor: As far as we know, he's the last man on Earth, though he probably won't live for very long.
General Drask
General Benedict Drask
Played by: Ron Perlman
A retired general President Orlean recruits to 'pilot' the comet rerouting mission (for publicity, since it's actually fully automated).
- Defiant to the End: Played for (Dark) Laughs. Drask spends his last night alive ineffectually firing every single gun he has in his extensive home arsenal into the sky against the comet as it approaches Earth, while angrily screaming that it will never take him alive.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Kate recognizes him as the one yelling at young children to exercise better on the White House lawn in a misguided attempt at a fitness initiative.
- Innocently Insensitive: He makes a comment on how it would be cool for both types of "Indians" to team up, not realizing how racist it sounds. He also seems unaware of how these people would already be offended by him singling out "hard working white people" first. He's quickly silenced before he can pull this trope off on the gay community.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While he's acknowledged as being pretty terrible, he's willing to lay down his life to save the planet.
- Sociopathic Soldier: General Drask is a bullying Racist Grandpa and Gun Nut, although he's marginally more heroic and likable than most of the Hate Sink presidential administration.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: As the face of the mission to save Earth, he has pretty outdated views on race.
- Suicide Mission: Invoked. He doesn't need to go on the mission to reroute the comet, because NASA has engineered it to be fully automated, but Orlean has him go on what might be a suicide mission for publicity.
- Token Good Teammate: While he's certainly got his fair share of issues, he's actually a selfless man who has genuinely heroic desires, unlike the other members of Orlean's team who are all around pretty damn awful.
Peter Isherwell
Peter Isherwell
Played by: Mark Rylance
The futurist CEO of cell phone company BASH, and one of Orlean's top donors.
- Berserk Button: The fairly mild-mannered Peter Isherwell takes great offense at being called a "businessman". He's not in business. He's guiding the future of human evolution.
- Big Bad: He is the entire reason behind the movie's conflict; while Orlean was easily swayed into destroying the comet for personal gain, Isherwell was the one responsible for aborting that plan for his own benefit (and Orlean's).
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first you might think he avoids eye contact because he's shy, but it's really because he thinks everyone else is that much beneath him. And while you could defend the seemingly mild-mannered billionaire's plan as coming from a genuine desire to advance humanity, it's made clear it's not as selfless as he'd have you believe, as he only wants to help the humanity currently allied with himself, cutting out rival countries from his plan to share the comet's resources.
- Can't Take Criticism: He absolutely cannot stand being wrong at anything. When Randall rightly questions his plan to mine the asteroid once it is dangerously close to Earth, Isherwell goes on a tirade about how Randall is at the mercy of the social media he himself controls. Isherwell also fires anyone in his company and the US government who dare to voice opposing opinions or provide data showing that his plan is a horrible idea.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: For all his talk of being committed to humanity's "evolution," he's just a greedy businessman (though don't call him that) who's more interested in using The End of the World as We Know It to make money than preventing the destruction of the planet.
- Didn't Think This Through: His mining plan in the eyes of the heroes, which has not gone under peer review, and his refusal to listen to Dr. Mindy about the sync rates being off costs him his home world.
- Dirty Coward: Once his plan to save the earth fails, he jumps ship with other elites and leaves the planet to die, concerned only with saving his own skin. He also does nothing to save President Orlean when she is attacked and becomes noticeably panicked when the animals on the new planet become aggressive towards him.
- Eyes Always Averted: Always looks towards the ground when talking in public. At the phone presentation, the audience is asked to avoid making eye contact with him.
- Fatal Flaw: Greed and Ignorance. Deep down, Isherwell is an ignorant man who is implied to care only for himself and not his clients. It is also implied that he had no intention of stopping the comet at all and that his real plan was to save himself and his allies to reestablish themselves on a distant planet.
- Hate Sink: Comet Dibiasky is a force of nature, so we can’t loathe it, even if it destroys the Earth. We can, however, despise Isherwell for being an absolutely arrogant moron. He has the most direct influence on humanity's extinction at the end of the movie, and is presented without any redeeming traits. His aborting the initial deflection mission is an Establishing Character Moment that shows how greedy and uncaring he truly is. He doesn’t even give Randall the time of day when the former tries to correct him on the sync-rates of his BEADs.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: After it becomes clear that the mission he put together to break up the comet is a resounding failure, Isherwell quickly leaves the control center, mumbling a quick excuse about needing to use the bathroom, though his obviously Broken Smile pretty much leave no doubt that it has dawned on him how screwed he actually is. It is obvious enough that President Orlean quickly decides to leave the room too, using the exact same excuse.
- I Reject Your Reality: His response to everything the heroes say to him.
- Insistent Terminology: He's not a businessman, he's "guiding human evolution." Calling him a businessman is one sure-fire way to piss him off.
- Jerkass: He acts like a benevolent if somewhat socially awkward man who genuinely wants what's best for humanity. At the same time, he pushes very invasive spyware onto his phones, treats those he deems beneath him like dirt, doesn't listen to the opinions of other people, and ultimately has the mission to save Earth canceled in favor of mining the comet for its ore, while claiming it will be a benefit to humanity when it's clear he's just interested in making as much money as possible. This plan ends up dooming the earth to destruction when it fails, and the moment he realizes this, he and his rich friends up and leave everyone else behind while they flee the planet on a private starship.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's an amalgamation of several big names in tech.
- He takes the set-up of being CEO of a company that engages in data mining to build predictive customer profiles from Jeff Bezos of Amazon.
- Like Elon Musk, he is socially awkward, has a habit of inserting himself in major events and conceptualizing Awesome, but Impractical technological solutions to relatively mundane problems, and has a high need for minerals mined under environmentally disastrous conditions. His talk about "guiding human evolution" to cover his plans for profit and attempt to privatize every space program also bring Musk to mind.
- His style of dress, phone presentations, and so on draw parallels to Steve Jobs as well.
- His strange, almost robotic voice also brings Mark Zuckerberg to mind.
- Oh, Crap!: Isherwell has a hilarious one when he realises his operation to destroy the comet has completely failed, and he bolts for his private starship soon after.
- Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: He’s basically a lampoon of how most people see wealthy folks like Isherwell: a brainless entrepreneur who thinks he can mine a deadly comet just so he can make lots of money off of its minerals.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After the failure of the mission, he and Orlean lie to Mission Control and flee on a Sleeper Ship.
- The Sociopath: Putting on a shy, charismatic façade, Isherwell cares more about his personal profits and safety than Earth's survival. He directly endangers the entire planet's population for a chance to make more money, not showing an ounce of regret or sympathy aside from fearing for his own life, and fires any voices who express genuine concern over his very faulty plan. At the end of the movie, he casually dismisses the 42% of passengers on board his Sleeper Ship that didn't survive the trip, let alone the billions of lives on Earth that he took away. Isherwell also doesn't even bat an eye when he sees President Orlean, his best friend and his biggest supporter, get killed by an alien animal, only showing fear once it's obvious that his own life is in danger.
- Tech Bro: An arrogant tech CEO who's obsessed with massive, overambitious and impractical futurist ideas, also being a mix-and-match of real life tech moguls.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His insistence on letting the comet come close enough to mine its resources led to disaster when he failed to destroy it, while his subsequent back-up plan looks likely to doom the survivors thousands of years later.
Media
Brie Evantee
Brie Evantee
Played by: Cate Blanchett
One of two co-hosts of the talk show The Daily Rip. She begins an affair with Randall.
- Betty and Veronica: She is the blonde, glamourous, and two-faced news anchor Veronica to June's Betty, with Randall playing Archie.
- Fair-Weather Friend: As Randall gradually becomes a media darling, Brie becomes attracted to him and eventually sleeps with him. After Randall breaks out of his popularity haze and gives a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to her viewers, Brie quickly acts like she never knew him.
- Hidden Depths: Brie is introduced as a vapid news anchor, but she turns out to have three master's degrees, speak several languages and is extremely well-read — she’s no Dumb Blonde.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: With the end coming, Brie decides to spend her last moments getting as drunk as possible while swapping gossip with Jack Bremmer, her co-anchor.
- Lack of Empathy:
- When June confronts Randall and Brie over their affair, Brie displays a rather blithe attitude to June's understandable anger.
- When Randall himself becomes fed up with everyone's apathetic attitude towards the impending Comet of Doom and gives a "The Reason You Suck" Speech on live television, Brie cuts all ties with him, concerned only with the ratings of her precious talk show.
- Old Money: She tells Randall that she grew up in a spiffy old-money family and rebelled by "getting three Master's degrees".
- Proud Beauty: She knows how good she looks and has no problem showing off.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: Her first scene is of her pushing up her breasts, asking her co-host how she looks.
- Slave to PR: At the end of the day, Brie is concerned only with the ratings of The Daily Rip and will make sure that everyone who appears on the show will follow the social media norms of the day.
Jack Bremmer
Jack Bremmer
Played by: Tyler Perry
One of two co-hosts of the talk show The Daily Rip.
- Awful Wedded Life: Implied to have one given that he jokes about Comet Dibiasky hitting his ex-wife’s house, which is in New Jersey.
- Intercourse with You: As the comet heads to Earth, he offers to have sex with Brie in the bar. She refuses.
- Nice Guy: He is a pretty upbeat and friendly guy. He is still oblivious though.
- Token Black Friend: He's black, but not given as much plot prominence as his white co-anchor Brie.
Riley Bina and DJ Chello
Riley Bina and DJ Chello
Played by: Ariana Grande and Scott Mescudi
Riley Bina is a famous pop star who goes through a much-publicized breakup with her boyfriend, DJ Chello.
- Adam Westing: Riley plays much of Ariana Grande's public persona for meanness: an airheaded and sweet girl (who turns on Mindy quickly) who supports good causes (without any depth) and has a well-publicized love life (that is ruthlessly exploited for her career).
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Riley is friendly to Randall at first but the instant he tries to make small talk once the Daily Rip staffer leaves, she snaps at him.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Pop stars Riley Bina and DJ Chello are initially just there to provide a gag about how their breakup is getting more media attention than the warnings about the comet. Later though, they provide some minor support for the "Just Look Up" social media movement.
- Dumbass Has a Point: For all of her shallowness, Riley is capable of recognizing the Ignored Expert status of Randall and Kate and references this in her "Just Look Up" song.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Riley acts like a bitch to Randall, but she is willing to stand up for good causes, later supporting his.
- Soapbox Sadie: Played for laughs. Riley is publicly dedicated to saving the manatees, but considering she prioritizes it over the comet that's about to annihilate humanity, it's clear it's a shallow personal interest.
Philip
Philip
Played by: Himesh Patel
A journalist who is Kate's boyfriend at the start of the film.
- Asshole Victim: He may have been killed by Comet Dibiasky’s impact.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He seems like an okay guy who is trying to do serious journalism instead of clickbait and he's appropriately horrified when Kate, about to do the Daily Rip interview, tells him about the comet. Almost immediately after the interview, he seizes the opportunity to write a cruel article with a clickbait title about how he slept with the crazy comet lady.
- Disposable Fiancé: His relationship with Kate does not make it to the midpoint; after Kate becomes a meme screaming about the end times, he dumps her via clickbait article. Kate eventually goes on to form a more fulfilling connection with Yule.
- Slave to PR: He eventually ends his relationship with Kate because he is more concerned with keeping his job after Kate is demonized by both the American government and social media.
- Ungrateful Bastard: His way of thanking Kate for stopping him from jumping into traffic is to jump on the bandwagon against Kate, writing a cruel clickbait article about her.
Michigan
June Mindy
June Mindy
Played by: Melanie Lynskey
Randall's wife and mother of his two children.
- Betty and Veronica: The patient, loving, domestic brunette Betty to Brie's Veronica, with Randall playing the Archie.
- Nice Girl: She's Randall's patient and understanding wife. She justifiably loses it when she catches Randall cheating, but welcomes him home when the end is nigh.
- Tantrum Throwing: She throws Mindy's medication after him when they officially break up.
- Trespassing to Talk: Manages to let herself into the hotel suite to confront her husband on his return.
Yule
Yule
Played by: Timothée Chalamet
A slacker who forms a relationship with Kate.
- Foil: To Benedict Drask, a stereotypical macho man who spews out bigoted beliefs and uses Christian symbols to virtue signal. Yule, on the other hand, is a kindhearted slacker who is private about his faith and only shares his belief in intimate settings.
- Hidden Depths: Initially introduced openly stealing alcohol and later, engaging in petty vandalism, Yule grows closer to Kate, revealing himself to be an earnest, thoughtful man of deep faith. At dinner, with their unavoidable deaths literally minutes away and the house shaking around them as the comet approaches, the family struggles to offer up a prayer; Yule steps in and makes a heartfelt short speech of peace and gratitude that leaves a table of doctorate level geniuses completely speechless.
- Nice Guy: After initially seeming annoying and something of a petty criminal, he proves to be a kind and open-minded person, which earns him Kate's genuine affections.
- Real Men Love Jesus: He was raised Evangelical, but isn't particularly pushy or arrogant about his beliefs.
- Unkempt Beauty: A male example. He manages to still look attractive despite not putting too much care into his appearance.
Evan and Marshall Mindy
- Played by: Robert Hurst Radochia and Connor Sweeney
Randall and June's sons.
- Nature Lover: One of the brothers says his happiest memory is of the time he slept in the backyard and woke up with a fawn staring him in the face.
- Satellite Character: They don't have much to their characters besides being Randall's sons.
