Glass Onion director explains the joyful story behind Hugh Grant’s surprise cameo
Hugh Grant is a fan of the original Knives Out movie. (Netflix)
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Director Rian Johnson has revealed how Hugh Grant ended up playing Benoit Blanc’s husband in Netflix’s hit whodunnit Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
The beloved Notting Hill actor made his unexpected cameo as the Southern detective’s husband Phillip in the Knives Out sequel after Johnson teased the appearance of Blanc’s male partner at the BFI London Film Festival.
“There’s nobody in the world I can imagine in bringing me more joy for Benoit Blanc to be with,” he said at the time about the mystery spouse.
In a recent interview with Empire‘s Spoiler Special podcast, Johnson explained the backstory behind Grant’s cameo in the film. According to the acclaimed director, it didn’t take long at all to decide who he wanted to cast in the role as Phillip, with Grant’s name immediately springing to mind.
“I just basically thought who would it give me the most joy for Benoit Blanc to be with, and I thought Hugh Grant,” Johnson recalled.
“He was such a joy to be with, he came to set for one day, did that one disconnected scene and trusted us to put it in the movie. I also love that he’s home baking, trying to make sourdough bread”.
The hilarious scene saw Benoit (played by Daniel Craig) taking a bath when he is interrupted by Phillip saying there is someone at the door for him. Soon after, Phillip answers the door in a flour-dusted apron holding a sourdough starter.
As for Benoit and Phillip’s relationship dynamic, Johnson went on to explain that he likes the idea of them having different careers.
“I don’t know if I see him as the Watson to Blanc’s Sherlock,” he continued.
“But it’s good to have separate things, plus that apartment is so nice, I can’t imagine Blanc can afford it, so I think he has a real job.”
Johnson also addressed the fact that Benoit and Phillip didn’t actually appear onscreen together, which disappointed many fans.
“It certainly wasn’t meant to skirt anything, but it wasn’t driven by COVID in particular,” Johnson previously told ScreenRant.
“It was just kind of the way the scene was written. It’s the delight of connecting up that moment, when you come back to it halfway through, with the moment from the beginning was kind of the idea of it.”
Of course, Hugh Grant has given his own two pennies’ worth about playing the husband to the best detective in the world.
“It is true, I’m married to James Bond,” he told Collider, referring to Craig’s previous role as 007.
“It’s the tiniest little moment. I don’t really know why they wanted to do it but anyway, I thought Knives Out was brilliant, and so yeah, I thought why not?”
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is now streaming on Netflix.
