What role did Barack Obama play in Sam Esmail’s ‘Leave the World Behind?’

The Creator of USA’s innovative Mr. Robot, Sam Esmail, has the habit of creating terror out of modern society. The man who was tasked with rebooting the sci-fi classic, Battlestar Galactica, has done it again with the Netflix film, Leave the World Behind, but this time with the aid of former U.S. president, Barack Obama.

Based on the Rumaan Alam book of the same name, the film stars Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke in the wrong place at the wrong time. Intent on getting her family on a vacation, Amanda (Roberts) packs their bags and heads to a vacation house she booked. But amid catastrophic cyberattacks that shut down the world, a family arrives, claiming to own the property. The Sandford family treats Ruth (Myha’la) and G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) with suspicion, as there is no way to verify these claims.

Stuck together at the end of the world, Leave the World Behind takes familiar dystopian themes of lies and mistrust with a sci-fi spin. These elements alone are a recipe for a captivating film, but someone unexpected gives an additional level of realism to the project.

How was Obama involved in Leave the World Behind?

After retiring from his duties as a two-term president, Barack Obama has lent his talents to the entertainment industry. He and Michelle Obama have a production company, Higher Ground Productions, that was involved with the film. Esmail shared with USA Today that the former president gave him notes for his new film regarding what reality would look like at the end of the world.

“Here we have one of the most brilliant minds on the planet making sure we kept focusing on this cautionary tale about mistrust. He’s a movie lover and a fan of the book, so what he really wanted to emphasize with me was hitting on this point about how lack of empathy that can happen in a crisis and what that means for us all.”

He used his experience in the Oval Office to dissuade Esmail from using elements that were not as realistic in an end-of-the-world scenario. But as a movie buff himself, his notes on characters were instrumental. President Obama had a unique perspective about how high-intensity situations could turn people against each other. As one of the most powerful people in the United States, he naturally would have experience with high-pressure situations and how that would affect characters emotionally.

In this movie specifically, this comes in handy. Tensions rise between the two families who are forced to cohabitate with each other as well as their prejudices. Amanda particularly shows a vicious racist side, disbelieving that a family of color could own such an impressive estate. A social commentary for the current era, Leave the World Behind should not be missed when it premieres on Netflix.