Barack Obama's Role In Netflix's Leave The World Behind Is Deeper Than You Think
Sam Esmail has made quite a name for himself in the world of television over the last decade. Now, in the wake of the smash success and critical acclaim of his cyber-thriller series, "Mr. Robot," the writer and director has switched gears to an even larger-scale story with his Netflix apocalyptic thriller, "Leave the World Behind."
While the film is headlined by major performers like Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali, there's an even bigger name connected to the film behind the scenes: former President Barack Obama. Though many will likely recall that Obama and his wife, Michelle, recently signed a deal with Netflix, viewers may not be aware that their production company, Higher Ground, is behind the film.
What's more, Esmail had access to Obama's own personal experience with world-changing events as a result of this connection. "In the original drafts of the script, I definitely pushed things a lot farther than they were in the film," Esmail told Vanity Fair. "And President Obama, having the experience he does have, was able to ground me a little bit on how things might unfold in reality."
Obama also suggested that some of Esmail's script nailed it
Despite Sam Esmail's screenplay perhaps going a bit too far at first, the "Leave the World Behind" director also pointed out how having a former president as an executive producer offered him a window into the reality of how these events might occur in reality.
"I am writing what I think is fiction; for the most part, I'm trying to keep it as true to life as possible, but I'm exaggerating and dramatizing," he pointed out. "And to hear an ex-president say, 'You're off by a few details'... I thought I was off by a lot!" Esmail exclaimed. "The fact that he said that scared the f*** out of me."
Though the fact that the Obamas have producing credits on "Leave the World Behind" may initially come as a surprise to Netflix subscribers, it turns out that there is also a good reason for this bit of trivia, as well. After all, the former president mentioned the Rumaan Alam novel of the same name on his 2021 summer reading list.
Still, it must be very disquieting to have a man who was once one of the most important and influential figures in global politics tell you just how close you got to accurately depicting an international disaster in your screenplay. On the other hand, however, a storyteller like Esmail has made his career by mirroring real-life events to some degree with his writing, and as such, the observation does seem somewhat apt.