In an ideal world, the free press acts as a guardrail against excesses of government and corporations, speaking truth to power and holding those in charge accountable to the public. Don’t Look Up paints a very different picture of the Fourth Estate. As the hosts of popular morning show The Daily Rip, Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett) and Jack Bremmer (Tyler Perry) are among the first to hear about Dr. Randall Mindy and Dr. Kate Dibiasky’s discovery of a deadly comet heading for Earth. But rather than report on the incoming threat, the co-hosts choose to sugarcoat it with banter and quick quips, avoiding the hard truth in the pursuit of ratings. 

Blanchett, who plays Brie with poisonous glamour in her vast array of bright newscaster dresses and killer heels, exudes a worldly cynicism about the news profession. And in a way, she’s earned it. Don’t Look Up isn’t Blanchett’s first time reading a teleprompter. Over the years, she has played numerous reporters and journalists on-screen. Some are based on real people; others are fictional. 

And now the news, with Cate Blanchett. 

Veronica Guerin (2003)

Blanchett’s first foray into the world of journalism is based on a true story. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the movie stars Blanchett as Sunday Independent reporter Veronica Guerin, whose tireless investigative reporting into Dublin’s drug trade led to her assassination in 1996.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Wes Anderson’s loving parody and tribute to French diver Jacques Cousteau stars Blanchett as pregnant reporter Jane Winslett-Richardson, who boards the Belafonte alongside Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) and his crew to chronicle their voyage of revenge against a rare shark.

Truth (2015)

Blanchett co-stars with Robert Redford in director James Vanderbilt’s re-creation of the Killian documents controversy. The 2004 scandal saw the downfall of veteran CBS reporters Mary Mapes (Blanchett) and Dan Rather (Redford) after they published unsubstantiated claims about President George W. Bush’s military service. 

Manifesto (2017)

German artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt’s multiscreen movie stars Blanchett in 13 different roles, reading excerpts of various artistic and political manifestos from modern history as her characters. In the penultimate scenario, Blanchett plays a reporter who delves into conceptual art and minimalism through the works of American artists and thinkers Sol LeWitt, Sturtevant and Adrian Piper. 

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Adam McKay’s dark comedy stars Blanchett as Brie Evantee, the co-anchor of a fictional morning show known as The Daily Rip. But unlike Blanchett’s previous reporter characters, Evantree isn’t driven by the unrelenting pursuit of facts or a desire to change the world. She’s an ambitious and devilishly smart gossip who knows how to get ratings. And truth, it turns out, has very little to do with it.