360 Directors’ Cut: Oscar-Nominee Adam McKay, “The Big Short”

Adam McKay has made his mark on comedy many times over. But the director of “Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights” switched gears in his latest movie, “The Big Short,” which is about the financial collapse of 2008. Sure, CDOs and synthetic CDOs might seem a little arcane, but McKay says it’s not really that complicated. “You’re really moving money and debt around and then they give it strange names and act like no one should understand,” says the director. “The Big Short” is up for 5 Academy Awards – including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In this extended conversation with Kurt Andersen, McKay explains how great characters can make anything compelling to watch – and how he and Will Ferrell almost broke the internet with the help of his then two-year-old daughter.