by In his first film since his last outing as James Bond, Daniel Craig returns as stylish detective Benoit Blanc in the murder mystery Glass Onion – a sequel to his 2019 hit Knives Out.
This time it’s celebrities and influencers who come under suspicion as the film takes a satirical look at the decadence of the very modern rich and famous.
But while the film jokes about online tropes and memes, its star says the virtual world isn’t somewhere he plans to have a profile. “Wild horses couldn’t drag me to a social media account”, Craig told Sky News.
The star-studded ensemble cast also includes Kathryn Hahn, Madelyn Cline, Edward Norton, Leslie Odom Jr and Kate Hudson. Picture: John Wilson/Netflix
One of the film’s messages is to think before you speak – which the actor says is a lesson for all of us, whether we’re online or not.
“I could learn it, we could all learn it, I mean, I’m not above it,” he said. “One of the reasons I stay off social media is probably that I’ll say things I’d regret and don’t want to do.
“I kind of want to try to think before I speak – you’ll see in this interview that’s not the case!”
The success of the 2019 hit Knives Out was such that netflix took over the franchise, reportedly paid £375m for that film and another sequel.
The streaming platform has also broken form to show Glass Onion in all three major US movie chains – something Craig and writer-director Rian Johnson have been advocating.
“I state the obvious and we continue to state the obvious, but the movies are a wonderful collective experience,” Craig said.
“That’s something that’s been important to us from the start and with the first film, just seeing the audience experience it together and experience it together at home as well – so there’s no bad way to do it,” Johnson added.
Daniel Craig returns as stylish detective Benoit Blanc in the Glass Onion murder mystery. Picture: John Wilson/Netflix
As Craig returns, the rest of the ensemble’s star-studded cast is new, and with filming taking place in a bubble during the pandemic, the actors have found themselves spending a lot of time together.
But despite the involvement of so many stars, there was apparently no diva behavior on – or off – set.
Kate Hudsonwho plays Birdie Jay, a former model turned fashion designer, thinks casting was key.
“You want to bring that energy and that kind of sparkle to life with the characters and the way we interact with each other,” she said.
“And that’s how you do it, you do it by bonding and creating environments that keep us close, that’s what they’ve done. And also by throwing in people who are really going to love – that aren’t going to be disruptive.”
Read more:
Knives Out’s Don Johnson: ‘I always use my detective skills’
Daniel Craig receives the same honor as Bond
Janelle Monae is another new addition to the cast. Picture: John Wilson/Netflix
Janelle Monae, who plays tech entrepreneur Andi Brand, credits Johnson with creating the right atmosphere.
“I was very shocked by his calmness on set,” she said. “It’s a big cast, a lot of personalities, things happen in production, technical difficulties, some things may not go to plan, and I’ve never seen him lose his temper – and that helped us as actors.
“And also he was planning these weekend murder mystery nights, so we film a murder mystery thriller and then we play like the mafia, a murder mystery game just for fun, but everything we did outside of filming has helped us trust each other even more on screen – and we really, really love each other.”
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery hits Netflix on December 23
