Has Hollywood Flipped Its Own Script on Fossil Fuels?

By Carissa Mire

Hollywood isn’t exactly known for its legions of oil and gas-loving thespians and writers eager to espouse the wonders of fossil fuels, be it in their work or personal life, much less their activism.

In fact, if called upon to think of some famous names who actively vilify fossil fuels and despise what they feel is their role in destroying the earth and contributing to (in their minds) ever-worsening climate change, I feel pretty confident most Americans could come up with a celeb or two – or five – as easily as they can rank their favorite foods. 

For me, Jane Fonda and Leonardo DiCaprio definitely spring to mind.

So it came as quite the surprise during a recent movie night to see a character, the romantic male lead at that, mention the obvious benefits of fossil fuels and how he plans to make money investing in them during a casual dinner scene.

The scene in question is from “Lonely Planet,” a new Netflix film. The flick was decently hyped by the streaming service and headlined by Liam Hemsworth and Laura Dern, pretty heavy hitters in the movie biz so it’s not like we’re talking about a bargain-basement budget movie with D-list actors.

But I digress.  

In the scene, Owen, portrayed by Hemsworth, is chatting with fellow dinner guests during a writer’s retreat. The people have only just met at the event, so they’re spending time getting to know one another. When asked what he does for a living, Owen answers that he’s in “private equity.”

“We invest in assets we think will appreciate,” he explains, adding he is currently buying a property with coal deposits for mining.

Before anyone can question him, Owen quickly clarifies, “We aren’t going to be (doing the) mining ourselves. We’re just buying the field as an investment. When they do bring it up, it’ll be cleanly.”

One dinner guest, however, is skeptical. 

“I’ve read about this,” he says. “They call it clean coal, but it’s still very bad, right?”

When confronted, instead of caving and agreeing, Owen doesn’t miss a beat, and says, “Sure, unless you want to turn on the lights. In which case, you’re gonna need some form of energy, right? So, until wind, solar, hydro can meet the global demand for power, 2,500 acres of untapped coal is gonna be a solid investment.”

To this, the skeptic offers a slight smirk, shrugs, and continues to drink his tea. Owen gives a little laugh and takes an incoming call. Unbothered.

I’m not exaggerating when I say I found the scene a bit shocking. Not only did Owen quite confidently defend his company’s decision to invest in coal, but he also didn’t back down when someone doubted the coal would be extracted in a clean, responsible way. Instead, he calmly explained why and how the use of fossil fuels is crucial to keeping the world powered and moving forward. And the cherry on top? No one at the table argued the point. They simply accepted it and went back to their meal, even if perhaps a bit grudgingly.

The scene, the dialogue, and the scripted reactions of the actors – all of which spanned less than two minutes – really took me back. This just isn’t what I would expect from a typical Hollywood production, even one that’s not centered on the fossil fuels industry. Hemsworth’s character Owen could have had any job, but the film’s writers portrayed him as an investor looking to score big bucks in coal. What’s more, they did it without presenting him as the movie’s villain.

This is significant. Even if some in the entertainment industry don’t fall in line and view the doom-and-gloom climate change doctrine as divine truth, the pressure to include evil climate villains is definitely a real push in Hollywood. 

Take for instance an October 2023 article in Script Magazine titled “Who Needs Bad Guys When You Have Climate Villains?” by director and screenwriter Leigh Medeiros. In it, the author first explains what “climate screenwriting” is. 

“Climate screenwriting provides us the opportunity to create compelling, fleshed out characters who stand as representatives of these murky collectives (of Big Oil and Big Agriculture), “ she writes. “Using them in our stories can open up new possibilities for conflict and, hopefully, resolution.”

Medeiros goes on to list specific characters to use in climate screenwriting, including the executive; the politician; the lobbyist; the spin doctor, and even billionaire financiers of anti-climate think tanks. Not only does she provide screenwriters a list of potential villains, she fleshes out the possibilities for each character, suggesting ways for writers to feature them in their movies.

And if portraying specific people as climate villains is too subtle, others advocate for going straight for the jugular and casting climate change itself as the bad guy. 

In a September 2023 article for “The DiamondBack titled “Hollywood’s Newest Villain in Climate Change,” author Adam Hudacke explores a growing trend of using climate change as a “villainous force” rather than casting humans in the treacherous roles, citing movies like 2022’s “Don’t Look Up” and “How to Blow Up a Pipeline.”

“Don’t Look Up,” which starred big names like the aforementioned DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, centered around a life-destroying comet headed straight for Earth, with its inevitable impact serving as an allegory for climate change. 

In “How To Blow Up a Pipeline,” environmental concerns drive the plot, which centers around destroying a Texas oil pipeline, a symbol of the threat of climate change. This threat is the catalyst for the characters’ crimes, which they deem necessary.

These films are just two examples of movies following the same theme – that fossil fuels are bad and will lead to our inevitable climate-driven demise. But they’re by no means the only ones, including “Dune,” and “Avator: The Way of Water” and likely others I can’t think of right now.

So, considering the current movie-making environment and articles serving up climate villain possibilities on a silver platter straight to screenwriters, I will take comfort in the small but important scene in “Lonely Planet” where a young and handsome male lead confidently espoused the use and dependability of fossil fuels and the vital role they play in powering our world.