Honestly, the first time I saw the trailer for Don’t Look Up, I didn’t even realize it was her. Cate Blanchett has this uncanny ability to just... disappear. But in the 2021 Adam McKay satire, she didn't just disappear into a period piece or a high-fantasy elf queen role. She vanished into a hyper-polished, terrifyingly white-toothed version of our own media cycle.
She plays Brie Evantee.
If you’ve watched it, you know the vibe. She’s the co-host of The Daily Rip, a morning show that treats the literal end of the world with the same perky "keep it light" energy as a segment on the best way to zest a lemon. But there is a lot more to Cate Blanchett Don’t Look Up than just a funny wig and some dental veneers. People often dismiss Brie as a simple caricature of a "vapid news anchor," but that misses the point entirely.
The Teeth That Launched a Thousand Memes
Let’s talk about those teeth. They were aggressive.
Blanchett actually used her own fake teeth and a wig she had from a previous project to craft this look. It wasn't just about being "pretty." It was about being manufactured. In interviews, she’s mentioned that the character is a "state of being." Brie represents a media machine that has become so detached from reality that even a planet-killing comet is just another "story" to be balanced out by a celebrity breakup.
It’s easy to look at Brie and Jack (played by Tyler Perry) and think, "Okay, they're just making fun of Morning Joe or Good Morning America."
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Sure, there are echoes of Mika Brzezinski in there—some fans were quick to point that out on Reddit and Twitter. But Brie is more like a composite sketch of every person who has ever looked into a camera and decided that "likability" is more important than "truth."
Why the Affair with Dr. Mindy Actually Matters
A lot of viewers felt the subplot where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Dr. Randall Mindy, has an affair with Brie was a bit of a distraction. Why go there?
Blanchett explained it perfectly. She saw her function in the story as a barometer for how far Randall had drifted from his own soul. Think about it. At the start of the movie, Randall is a sweating, pill-popping astronomer from Michigan who can barely finish a sentence without hyperventilating. By the middle, he’s "America’s Sexiest Scientist," sitting in a high-rise apartment with a woman who admits she "doesn't do feelings."
"It's to express just how far Leo’s character... has gone from the epicenter of who he is," Blanchett told Variety.
She isn't a person to him; she’s a trophy of his own ego. And to her? He’s just a "value add" to her brand. It’s cold. It’s clinical. It’s also kinda heartbreaking when you realize that while the world is literally burning, these two people are playing "house" in a glass box.
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The Mystery of the "Three Master's Degrees"
There is a specific scene where Brie lists her credentials. Two monastics? Three master's degrees? She speaks several languages. She’s clearly brilliant.
This is the "expert" layer of the character that most people miss. Brie Evantee isn't stupid. She’s just decided that being "in on the joke" is the only way to survive. She knows the world is ending. She just doesn't care. There’s that chilling moment where she says she wants to "sit on my ass and eat as many cookies as I can find" when the comet hits.
She’s the ultimate nihilist.
How She Transformed (Without the CGI)
While the movie had a massive $75 million budget, Blanchett’s transformation was surprisingly DIY.
- The Hair: That "news anchor blonde" was a wig she already owned.
- The Teeth: Dental prosthetics that pushed her lips out into a permanent, slightly eerie smile.
- The Vibe: She modeled her movement on the way people move when they know they are being watched by millions.
It’s "restylane rigor mortis," as some critics called it. Everything about her is tightened, tucked, and presented for maximum consumption.
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The Harsh Reality of the Satire
Some critics felt Don’t Look Up was too "on the nose." They called it smug. But when you look at Blanchett’s performance, there’s a subtlety there that's actually quite terrifying.
There’s a scene near the end where Randall tells her he was "close to feeling love" for her. Watch her face. For a split second, the mask slips. You see a tiny flicker of human recognition, like she’s trying to remember what that word even means. Then, the eyes go cold again. She dismisses it.
That’s the brilliance of Cate Blanchett. She takes a character that could have been a 2D SNL sketch and makes her a haunting reflection of what happens when we prioritize entertainment over existence.
What to Watch Next If You Loved (or Hated) Brie
If you’re still thinking about that performance, you should probably dive into some of her other "constructed" characters.
- Tár (2022): If you want to see her play another woman obsessed with her own image and power, but in a much more grounded, psychological way, this is the one.
- Manifesto (2015): She plays 13 different characters. It’s basically a masterclass in the kind of "disappearing act" she pulled off in Don't Look Up.
- Blue Jasmine (2013): For that same sense of a woman desperately trying to keep a polished exterior while her world (literally) falls apart.
The takeaway here? Cate Blanchett Don’t Look Up wasn't just a celebrity cameo. It was a targeted strike on the way we consume news. Next time you see a morning show host laughing off a serious headline, you’ll probably see a bit of Brie Evantee’s white-toothed grin staring back at you.
Your Next Step: Go back and re-watch the scene where Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) first screams on The Daily Rip. Focus only on Brie’s face. The way she navigates the transition from "shocked human" to "professional moderator" in three seconds is arguably the best acting in the whole movie.