DiCaprio and Lawrence big up science in doomsday comedy

In "Don't Look Up", released on December 24 on Netflix, they play two astronomers who discover a comet will wipe out life on Earth within six months, but then try in vain to get politicians and the media to take the threat seriously.

The parallels with the climate crisis were deliberate, and filming during the pandemic gave the film another level of relevance.

"We are so immensely distracted from the truth nowadays and then Covid hit and a whole new scientific argument happened there," DiCaprio said in a recent press conference.

The film marks Lawrence's return to the big screen after a couple of years away from the spotlight.

The "Hunger Games" star recently told Vanity Fair she felt people had "gotten sick of me" following a string of box office disappointments, and wanted to build a real life, not least after a near-death experience when her private plane crashed.

She was lured back by her love for "Don't Look Up" director Adam McKay and the message of the film.

"It's so sad and frustrating to watch people who have dedicated their lives to learning the truth be turned away because people don't like what the truth has to say," said Lawrence.

In the movie, the astronomers face a particularly tough time trying to convince the power-obsessed US president, played with narcissistic glee by Meryl Streep.

Streep was coy about the real-life inspiration for her role.

"There were so many places to take things from, because there are so many preposterous people who put themselves in public life, shamelessly," she said.

The press conference was hosted by Dr Amy Mainzer, the real-life astronomer who provided the basis for Lawrence's character.

She said it was "very cathartic" watching DiCaprio's impassioned rant in the film against the stupidity of ignoring scientific warnings.

"We had a screening with other scientists in LA and they were cheering. It was really something to behold," Mainzer said.