The ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Cast Played Mafia to Bond While Filming
There are few original movies that have made a bigger impact in theaters as Knives Out. Director and writer Rian Johnson’s take on the Agatha Christie-style murder mystery brought together a star-studded cast. And it delighted audiences at the global box office. The sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, did well during a short theatrical run ahead of its Netflix debut. The early buzz on the film suggests that most people will have as much fun watching the film as the cast did getting to know each other during filming.
The cast of ‘Glass Onion’ is filled with notable actors
Just like its predecessor, Glass Onion features a deep bench of renowned acting talent. Daniel Craig’s southern fired detective Benoit Blanc is the only returning character from Knives Out, swapping out the hotly contested Massachusetts mansion for a beautiful private island off the coast of Greece.
Blanc is hired to investigate the alleged suicide of Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Janelle Monae), the former business partner of Miles Bron (Edward Norton), the billionaire owner of celebrated tech company Alpha Industries.
Bron happens to be holding a murder mystery party at his house when Blanc shows up, and all of the invitees suddenly become suspects. As you can see below, the ensemble is absolutely stacked:
- Kathryn Hahn plays Claire Debella, the governor of Connecticut now making a run for the Senate
- Leslie Odom Jr. plays Lionel Toussaint, the head scientist for Miles’ company
- Kate Hudson plays Birdie Jay, a supermodel turned fashion designer
- Dave Bautista plays Duke Cody, a Twitch streamer and men’s rights activist
- Jessica Henwick plays Peg, Birdie’s assistant
- Madelyn Cline plays Whiskey, Duke’s girlfriend and Twitch channel assistant
There are also a few big-name cameos we won’t mention by name for those who want to be surprised.
They built camaraderie on set by playing a lot of games
When making a mystery that’s as carefully unveiled as Glass Onion, it’s important that everyone involved is on the same page while on set. Hudson and Hahn explained how they built up chemistry among the cast in an interview with Extra.
Hahn and Hudson first worked together on the rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. So the two were very excited to reunite for this movie. “When you have a great partner in that, it just not only makes the time more fun, it elevates everything,” Hudson said. “When you have the ability to do that with someone, it just changes the whole dynamic.”
The cast stayed at Villa 20 at the Amanzoe in Porto Heli, Greece, where they also shot most of Glass Onion. “It felt like a summer vacation where we also made a movie,” Johnson told Netflix’s vertical Tudum.
To build that dynamic with the other actors, they played the party game Mafia (also known as Werewolf). With the way Hahn and Hudson describe the bonding sessions, it sounds like they would be worth watching on their own.
“I actually have the footage of me rolling Kathryn around on a tray cart,” Hudson revealed before adding that Hahn danced her way through multiple floors of the hotel. “Daniel [Craig] and I were laughing so hard. It was funny.”
Hahn praised the cast for collectively finding the right wavelength for this type of movie. “You can’t make a thing like this if anyone is feeling like they’re holding anybody up.”
Its short but lucrative run in theaters proves that Netflix has a hit on their hands
Movies like Knives Out are an increasing rarity in the film industry. It’s tough enough to get moves that aren’t based on a pre-existing IP made, let alone for one to bring so much money that it becomes a franchise unto itself.
Netflix purchased the rights for two sequels. But it chose to give Glass Onion a one-week run in theaters at the end of November. The amount of money the movie made in that time might have caught the company by surprise. Glass Onion reportedly made about $15 million overall and finished third in Thanksgiving weekend box office returns.
In hindsight, a lot of money was probably left on the table by making Glass Onion a streaming exclusive going forward. But the success does go to show just how excited fans are to watch Blanc assumedly solve another case.
