Welcome back to Behind The Scenes Saturday!!! Today is all about one my favorite mystery movies, Glass Onion! Although I absolutely adore Knives Out, this film became my favorite of the franchise over time. So, be careful with whatever drinks you’re given, remember that things can be more simple than they seem, and enjoy these fun pics and bits of trivia!!

(Trivia provided by IMDb.com)

(Pictures provided by google.com and IMDb.com)

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

• One of the portraits in Miles’ (Edward Norton) living room is a nod to his previous film, Fight Club. It’s actually Norton’s head on Brad Pitt’s body.
• The film’s director, Rian Johnson once considered having Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) have a different accent in every film with absolutely no explanation, but he later decided against the idea.

• This was the final film of Stephen Sondheim and Dame Angela Lansbury.
• The film’s costume designer, Jenny Eagan borrowed notes of an old Hollywood tailor for Benoit Blanc’s swim suit. His pants were made using a custom sewing pattern that was originally drafted for Frank Sinatra.

• For her scene, Dame Angela Lansbury didn’t know how to play the game, Among Us. Rian Johnson stated that, “She was very patient in letting me describe the rules of Among Us, up to a point. At which point she just said, ‘You know what? Just tell me what the lines are. I’ll trust you.’”
• In the film, Miles stated that his puzzle guy was mentored by Ricky Jay. Jay was actually supposed to be in Knives Out, but he passed away before he could do his scenes. M. Emmet Walsh ended up taking his place.

• When we see Miles in the Glass Onion bar flashback, his look was based on Tom Cruise’s character in Magnolia. It was actually Edward Norton’s idea and he didn’t inform Rian Johnson beforehand. It perfectly showed that Miles never had an original thought in his life.
• Daniel Craig had to work with a dialect coach to regain familiarity with Benoit Blanc’s thick New Orleans accent.

• While she plays his mother in the movie, Jackie Hoffman (Ma) is only 8 years older than Dave Bautista (Duke) in real life.
• When Helen (Janelle Monáe) looked at all the messages on her phone, the messages were all sent by the film’s editorial/production crew.

• Daniel Craig, Dave Bautista, and Kate Hudson (Birdie) wanted to stay at the Amanzo hotel during filming, but because it costs $2,000 a night, production refused.
• While waiting for his guests to arrive, Miles plays The Beetles’ song, Blackbird on a guitar. This song is on the same album as their song, Glass Onion.

• Rian Johnson wanted to remind everyone that Benoit Blanc is not the protagonist of this franchise. He once stated, “Spending too much time digging into his backstory, life, or all of that, is not that interesting to me. I want him to serve his function as a detective but it’s pretty fun getting a little glimpse of Blanc’s life with his partner, Philip, and when I thought about who it would bring me the most joy to see Blanc have as his partner, Hugh Grant, you can’t beat it.”
• The captain of the yacht was played by the actual captain. He really didn’t want to be in the movie, and Rian Johnson had to practically beg him to be in it.

• Kathryn Hahn (Claire) was really excited to be in the film. She loved the idea of being in a big murder mystery movie where everyone is dressed extravagantly. To her disappointment, her character was the only one dressed in plain beige.
• Janelle Monáe’s introduction on the dock was choreographed like a dance. Her whole performance in the first half of the film was inspired by Mia Farrow’s performance in Death On The Nile.

• Rian Johnson was very happy filming the pool chat between Claire and Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.). He was specifically happy about getting to direct while swimming in the pool.
• Kaley Cuoco auditioned for the role of Birdie before it went to Kate Hudson.

• Kate Hudson’s take on her character, Birdie was that she was someone who understands every third word.
• Rian Johnson almost cut the close-up of the hot sauce sliding into Helen’s nose. However, audiences at an early screening loved it so he decided to keep it in.

• Rian Johnson and Jessica Henwick decided that her character, Peg would resent Birdie so much that her wardrobe would be as unfashionable as possible, which is why she has a fanny pack.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a Rian Johnson regular, voices the Hourly Dong in the film.

• There were a few scenes that involved Helen’s kids in order to help audiences land on Helen’s side of things. After Rian Johnson realized the audiences were already there, the scenes were cut.
• For the close-up shot of Benoit Blanc holding the Jeremy Renner hot sauce, it was actually Rian Johnson’s hand holding it.

• The scene where Helen and Benoit are at the restaurant discussing the plan almost included Birdie and Peg entering the restaurant and almost seeing them. Rian Johnson liked the bit but it had to be cut for the film’s pacing.
• Ethan Hawke’s cameo was a spontaneous decision. Hawke was already nearby, filming in Budapest at the time and he came to Greece to film this small part for the film.

• In Knives Out, Rian Johnson stated that Apple will not allow their products to be used by villains in movies or tv. This spoiled the identity of the killer in the first film. To make sure it didn’t happen again, only 2 characters in this film use Apple products: Duke and Benoit. The rest of the characters have phones that aren’t iPhones, keeping the mystery alive.
• During the glass smashing scene, Jessica Henwick’s shocked expression was genuine. She smashed the glass on the floor prematurely after mistaking Rian Johnson’s explanation of the countdown for the real one. Johnson loved her reaction and decided to keep it in the film.

• The film hints that Benoit Blanc is gay and married to Hugh Grant’s character, Philip. Daniel Craig confirmed that it was deliberately alluded to in the script. When asked about his cameo, Grant said, “It is true. I’m married to James Bond.”
• When Helen is ransacking the rooms, there is clearly a sheet of LSD with a few squares missing. It’s speculated that the LSD was Birdie’s and she took some that night based on her trippy outfit and her exaggerated reactions to everything, including screaming out, “What is reality?!”

• How The Disruptors all wore their masks in the beginning of the film perfectly defined their characters. Lionel wears a proper mask and follows the safety protocols, showing he was a serious scientist who was considerate for his safety and others. Claire wears a mask but she let it just fall off of her nose, showing that she only cared about appearing socially and morally conscious. Birdie wears a non-functioning mask and immediately tries to hug her friends showing she cared more about looks than safety. Peg however has a proper mask and never takes it off, showing she’s more responsible than her boss. Duke and Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) don’t wear anything, implying that they don’t believe that the virus is a real threat.
• On the boat ride to the island, Helen is seen standing next to a seat with the Omega symbol on the cushion. This is foreshadowing that Helen would be the end to Miles’ Alpha empire.

• A handkerchief was placed over Duke’s face in respect to the deceased, but also so Dave Bautista’s stunt double could lay there instead of Bautista.
• Rian Johnson had Janelle Monáe sit and smile like Mona Lisa for the film’s final shot.