The Meryl Streep Scene In Don't Look Up That Makes Us Love Her Even More

Water is wet, fire is hot, and Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of our time. These are the facts as they've been presented, over and over, thanks to science and an incredible filmography consisting of 21 Oscar nominations (via IMDb) during Streep's time on the big screen. Needless to say, the three-time Academy Award winner knows how to handle a scene, and that includes dancing rings around the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, and Jonah Hill in Adam McKay's "Don't Look Up."

The latest comedy-drama from "Vice" and "The Big Short" director Adam McKay follows DiCaprio and Lawrence's pair of scientists who discover that a world-ending comet is heading for a collision course with the planet. Much as they try to warn the great powers of the country of the danger on its way, their struggle to prep the Earth is met with a whole host of issues, including Meryl Streep's carefree President of the United States. Streep nails the role perfectly as a president more concerned about her popularity than the population at threat. It is a standout performance, beginning with her first scene in the film, which shows a talent many didn't expect to see — including Adam McKay himself.

In the initial meeting Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), Dr. Kate Dibalsky (Jennifer Lawrence) and Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan) have with the President, we see that she's in the middle of a phone call before the serious talks gets underway. As revealed in a recent video from Netflix (via YouTube), though, the call we see is one of 20-25 improvised chats she made up on the spot with every take. Astonished by the imagination at work, McKay said, "it was kind of a tour de force of improv that I have never seen before," said the director. "I am not exaggerating; she did 20-25 completely different absurd phone calls."

With a lengthy history in comedy prior to his time as the funny filmmaker behind classics like "Anchorman" and "Step Brothers," McKay admitted he was in the presence of genuinely remarkable talent. "I told Jonah [Hill], I don't think I could do that," McKay said. "I don't think I could 20 or 25 of them. I think I could do six or seven. She didn't repeat any. It was breathtaking."