Why Jennifer Lawrence Has a CGI Tooth In Don’t Look Up

Jennifer Lawrence explains why she has a CGI tooth in the upcoming film Don’t Look Up. The latest project from director Adam McKay stars Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio as two astronomers attempting to warn the world of a comet on course to destroy the Earth. Don’t Look Up begins a limited theatrical run this Friday, December 10, before dropping on Netflix on December 24.

This film continues McKay’s satirical streak following The Big Short and Vice, this time targeting society’s seeming lack of alarm over the disastrous consequences of climate change. Don’t Look Up surrounds its two leads with a star-studded supporting cast that includes Mark Rylance, Timothée Chalemet, Ariana Grande, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep, who plays the President of the United States. The director has said he cast Lawrence for her ability to portray anger, a crucial aspect of the film’s social commentary as she continuously runs into apathy from those in power.

During her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, however, Lawrence tells a story that makes her time on set sound far less serious. Fairly early on in production, the actor says, she knocked loose a dental veneer over one of her teeth, revealing the “pointy fang” beneath. While that would normally have been easily fixed by a quick trip to the dentist, COVID-19 filming protocols prevented her from going, so Netflix fell back on the common Hollywood catchall – just replace it in post:

And I lost a tooth, like, pretty soon in the beginning… Eating a sucker, it was really stupid. It was a veneer. But if anybody knows what’s underneath a veneer, it’s much worse, it’s like this pointy fang. And so, I lost that, and I couldn’t go to the dentist, because of COVID, so they just CG-ed my tooth. […] We didn’t even discuss it, I was like, ‘It’s okay, I’ll just do it like this, don’t worry about me.’ Nobody offered. […] Thank God for Netflix money!

As can be expected from Lawrence, who has a reputation for being one of Hollywood’s more self-effacing stars, this isn’t the first mishap she’s reported having on the Don’t Look Up set. Her character Kate wears nose rings in the movie, one of which was magnetic, and the actor said she repeatedly inhaled it by accident. This required her to awkwardly spit it out multiple times during filming – in front of her illustrious scene-partner DiCaprio.

While both of these anecdotes are sure to earn a chuckle from viewers, it remains to be seen if McKay’s film will land with audiences. Early reviews of Don’t Look Up have been mixed, suggesting the film’s jokes might not land with everyone, though the cast has earned some praise. However, McKay’s previous film Vice scored multiple Oscar nominations despite similarly splitting critics, so non-stellar notices might not prevent Lawrence and Co. from hitting paydirt with viewers.