Vice director Adam McKay on finding compassion for Dick Cheney

Originally published on December 17, 2018

Depending on how you look at it, former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney either almost killed director Adam McKay, or just about saved his life.

McKay had been hard at work making his new movie Vice about Cheney's rise to power, and while dealing with the stress of directing the film, he started smoking and putting on weight. One day, McKay started feeling his stomach turn and his mind flashed to something Christian Bale, who stars in the movie, told him when he was researching the five heart attacks Cheney survived. Bale told him that one of the most common signs of a heart attack is a queasy stomach.

McKay took some baby aspirin, called 911 and was able to get to the hospital just in time. He joined Tom Power to talk about the challenges of making a film about such an elusive figure and how the process helped him find compassion for those with different political viewpoints. 

Vice hits theatres everywhere on Tuesday, Dec. 25.

— Produced by Ben Jamieson