When Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up hit Netflix back in 2021, the world was basically on fire. Figuratively, mostly, but we were all stuck inside, staring at our phones, watching the news cycle eat itself alive. Then comes along this massive, star-studded satire about a planet-killing comet that half the population refuses to believe in. It was polarising, to say the least. Some people loved the bluntness; others found it about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the shin.
But in the middle of all the screaming matches between Leonardo DiCaprio’s panicked scientist and Meryl Streep’s Trumpian president, something weird happened. Timothée Chalamet showed up.
He doesn't even appear until the third act. Seriously, you're an hour and a half into this two-hour-plus movie before he pops up on screen with a mullet that looks like it was cut with a pair of rusty garden shears. He plays Yule, a "skate rat" who is somehow both a shoplifting punk and a deeply sincere Evangelical Christian. Honestly, it’s one of the most confusing yet weirdly grounding performances in recent memory.
Why Timothée Chalamet in Don't Look Up actually matters
Most critics at the time focused on the big metaphors. Is the comet climate change? Is it COVID-19? (It was meant to be the former, but the timing made it feel like the latter). Amidst all that heavy-handed allegory, Chalamet’s character, Yule, felt like he was in a different movie.
And that was the point.
Yule represents a slice of humanity that the rest of the film—and the elite characters within it—completely ignores. He’s not a billionaire trying to mine the comet for gold. He’s not a politician trying to win an election. He’s just a kid. A kid who spends his time at a "Christian camp" and finds a weird, tender connection with Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Kate Dibiasky.
The mullet and the Joe Exotic energy
You might have heard the story about the hair. It’s kinda legendary now. Timothée specifically asked for that mullet. According to the film's costume designer, Susan Matheson, the first thing he said when they discussed the role was, "I want a mullet." He even sent her photos of Joe Exotic from Tiger King.
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Yeah. That Joe Exotic.
He wanted Yule to look like someone who had been living on the fringes. Someone who didn't care about the high-fashion world or the polished look of the "Look Up" or "Don't Look Up" campaigns. He wears vintage patches and T-shirts from fictional Christian bands like "Noah’s Flood." It’s a specific kind of American subculture that Hollywood usually mocks, but Chalamet plays it with this total, unironic sweetness.
The most annoying day of Jennifer Lawrence's life
There’s a hilarious bit of behind-the-scenes trivia that makes the rounds every few months. Jennifer Lawrence once described a day of filming with Chalamet and DiCaprio as "the most annoying day of my life."
Why? Because Timothée had just finished 14 days of quarantine in a Boston hotel.
By the time he got to set, he was buzzing. He was vibrating. He was just so happy to be out of a room that he couldn't stop talking. They were filming a car scene—the one where Yule is driving Kate and Randall—and apparently, Chalamet was just exploding with energy while DiCaprio was trying to play a very specific song on the radio and explain its historical significance. Lawrence was just sitting there, sandwiched between them, probably wondering if the actual comet would be a better alternative.
That prayer at the end
If you've seen the movie, you know the ending is bleak. It’s arguably one of the most depressing finales in mainstream cinema. The comet hits. The world ends. There is no last-minute hero to save the day.
But right before the impact, the "misfit" family sits around a dinner table. They talk about store-bought apple pie and fingerling potatoes. It’s devastatingly normal. And then, when Leonardo DiCaprio’s character struggles to find the words to say grace—because he’s not a religious man—Yule takes over.
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"Dearest Father and Almighty Creator, we ask for Your grace tonight, despite our pride. Your forgiveness, despite our doubt. Most of all, Lord, we ask for Your love to soothe us through these dark times."
It’s a shockingly sincere moment in a movie that spent two hours being incredibly cynical. Chalamet delivers it with zero sarcasm. In a world of 2026 where we’re still arguing about basically everything, that scene hits differently. It’s about finding a bit of peace when everything else is falling apart.
Was his character "superfluous"?
Some fans on Reddit and film forums still argue that you could cut Yule out of the movie and nothing would change. On paper, maybe. He doesn't stop the comet. He doesn't change the President's mind.
But character-wise? He's the only reason Kate Dibiasky doesn't die in total despair. He gives her a reason to feel something other than rage in her final hours. He’s the "heart" that the satire needed so it wouldn't just feel like a lecture.
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Actionable insights for film fans
If you’re going back to rewatch Don't Look Up—or if you're watching it for the first time—keep an eye on the background details of Yule’s character.
- Look at the shirts: Most of his wardrobe consists of actual vintage Christian camp gear or custom-made "Noah's Ark" merch that you can only see if you're really paying attention.
- The Twitch handle: Yule introduces himself as "FirePuma142." It’s a tiny detail that shows he’s a kid of the internet era, yet he still holds onto this old-school faith.
- The contrast: Notice how he reacts to the comet compared to the adults. He doesn't panic. He just accepts it.
The real takeaway from Timothée Chalamet's performance is that even in a world obsessed with "sides" and "agendas," there's still room for individual sincerity. Whether you liked the movie or hated the politics, it's hard to deny that Chalamet brought a weird, mullet-wearing soul to the end of the world.
Next time you're scrolling through Netflix, give it another look. Don't focus on the comet. Focus on the kid with the bad hair who just wanted to pray for everyone. It might actually change how you feel about the ending.
To get the most out of your next rewatch, try comparing Yule's quiet acceptance to the frantic energy of the other characters; it highlights the film's message about what actually matters when time runs out.