He’s no longer allowed to kill, nor does he drink shaken martinis like he did when he was James Bond, but Daniel Craig is, again, a skilled detective in Glass Onion, a knife-edged mysteryfollowing of Between knives and secrets which Friday, December 23 airs in streaming on Netflix.
Currently, Daniel Craig is the only actor who “survived” the previous film. In this, the cast is as important as in the film that preceded it: Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline and even Ethan Hawke.
In this second film the thriller mixes again with humor and sparking dialogues, always revolving around the “who is” (a story about a murder in which the identity of the killer is not revealed until the end).
Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, an expert in solving murders. He had already done it in 2019, with that writer who, after turning 85, was found dead, and was suspicious of his environment and his family.
The film by Rian Johnson (who had just directed the second of the last trilogy of Star Wars, the last jedi) had a relatively low average cost for the stars who starred in it (Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Le Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Don Johnson, Toni Collette…), of 40 million dollars.
That is fine, Between knives and secrets it grossed $331 millionand Netflix didn’t hesitate, called Johnson and told him that if he convinced Craig to do two sequels of Knives outwould pay $469 million for the rights and development of these two films.
The first delivery
Glass Onion it is the first. It takes place not in Boston, but in Greece, where a billionaire invites a select group of people to his exclusive mansion to play. Well, something doesn’t go as planned, largely due to Benoit’s intervention, but a corpse appears and we already know what will happen then.
We meet again for the fourth or fifth time, from a first meeting in a snowy New York, for Royal Casino. It was the first interview he had given at the press conference as James Bond, and he was visibly nervous. It is understood: in 2006 the 007 saga either resumed with him, or disappeared.
Now, after the formal Zoom presentation, Daniel is, as always, attentive (“I’m very well. Thanks for hosting me”: well, it’s like he’s at my house via Zoom), and when I ask him if he knows , knows something about Argentina, our culture or our cinema, his answer, verbatim, is the following:
-When does it ring? When will Messi win the World Cup? What will happen, will Messi do it for you? (The interview was before the selection reached the final). No, I don’t know much. I know it’s a place I would like to visit and I hope to visit Argentina one day. I know there is an incredibly rich and diverse culture in Argentina and I would love to experience it first hand.
-Did you agree to play Detective Benoit Blanc again without reading the script?
– Um, yes and no. I mean, I have absolute faith in Rian Johnson, so I know it’s going to be a great script, I’m sure. If it was a bad script, he wouldn’t have given it to me. So we weren’t going to have this conversation. But we were completely surprised by the reaction and the success of the first film.
We knew we had a great movie, but we didn’t know how many people would enjoy it. Then it quickly turned into a conversation about making another one. But we would only do it if it was right. And he did, he wrote a great script, so it was easy.
-How would you describe your relationship with Rian Johnson? Are you friends, colleagues?
-Both of them. Fortunately, we worked closely as collaborators on the film. He’s incredibly generous with his time, with me, and with everyone on set. He is an unusual director. He is very good at directing large groups of people. It’s a truly amazing skill that few directors have.
And he’s also great, an amazing director who sets the tone, right? Everyone is on the same page, everyone understands what the feel of the movie is.
-Before you get to the end of the script, did you find out who the killer was?
-No, but Rian has a storytelling genius, and when he writes he achieves incredible things, like giving twists to the story and adding surprises to the viewers, throughout the film, so that they feel attracted, excited.
As if the mystery was part of the movie, okay?, but it is, first and foremost, about enjoying the journey that the film takes you, and then comes the rest. You obviously want the audience to guess. Rian always says it’s good to hide clues in funny moments… If the audience goes to see the film a second time, they will notice those details…
Since the film was shot at a time when the Covid-19 was in the midst of a pandemic – it was shot between June and September 2021 – the actors and the technical team were in something of a bubble. So they spent a lot of time together. And the actors entertained themselves on weekends playing – yes, it’s true – Clue, the board game that partly inspired the style of the first Knives out.
And what character traits were you most excited to explore now in the sequel?
– Your curiosity. It fascinates me that his technique for finding out who is responsible for the murder is to find out everything in his power about whoever is in the mansion. But, you know, he doesn’t do it from an interrogation, but he makes the characters feel comfortable with him, and…they confess.
Your sexual inclination
It is hinted in the new film that Benoit is sharing his home with a man – the actor appearing is certainly a surprise.
-Rian Johnson has confirmed that Benoit is gay, we won’t reveal anything about the film, but does Benoit’s sexual condition imply anything in the plot or in his way of solving mysteries? Does it matter or is it just color data?
It wasn’t a good conversation. It was something very short and simple that came out in an instant. And we both agreed it was the right choice. And that was all. There wasn’t a big discussion. Even, We care that your private life remains an enigmabecause in the end the films are not about Benoit, who is a little more on the screen in this one, but about the suspects.
Craig had already said that he frequented gay bars, where, in the past, he had had the opportunity to meet women. He has been married to the actress for eleven years Rachel WeiszOscar winner for The faithful gardener and former director Darren Aronofsky. The couple married in June 2011.
Daniel Craig, these days, is also the protagonist of a commercial for the Belvedere Vodka brand, directed by Taika Waititi, and we already know that the director of Jojo Rabbit He likes to break the mold. And that’s how Craig gets rid of James Bond, dancing. Which leads to a later question.
-A year after the premiere of your last movie as James Bond, what do you miss about playing him?
I miss the people I’ve worked with over the years. I miss the fun, the joy and the great moments still filtering through my head that I haven’t thought much about yet, because some of them are great. I will miss working with the team I have worked with for nearly 20 years. And you know, these are the things I’m going to miss the most, I think.
-Good. My last question is what role would you like to play in the future? You dreamed of being a Stormtrooper, in “Star Wars”, and you succeeded. What would you like to interpret?
-I do not know. Whatever, whatever happens to me. I feel incredibly lucky to have done what I’ve done for the last 20 years and then to play Benoit. I would be a very happy man, I would play Benoit for life.
If I could work with Rian Johnson, I would continue to play Detective Blanc forever, and if he continues to come up with these great ideas, it will make me even happier.
Source: Clarin
