Although the filmmaker Rian Johnson just revealed fresh information that improves the character, Daniel Craig has already received plaudits for his portrayal of Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out movies. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’s sole holdover from the 2017 original is Benoit Blanc, and thanks to Craig’s portrayal of the Southern investigator, viewers will be happy he did. Although Johnson’s script for Knives Out was excellent, Craig added his style to Blanc, elevating the content and making him even more memorable.
In five James Bond movies over 15 years, Craig played the legendary title character, which is probably what makes him most well-known. It contributed to the English actor’s cold, quiet, and menacing reputation. Thus, many people were pleasantly surprised when he changed to play the flamboyant, verbose Southerner Benoit Blanc in both Knives Out and its conceivably superior sequel, Glass Onion. Craig’s makeover is even more impressive, given the unexpected information that Blanc’s character underwent significant development after Craig to cast.
Benoit Blanc’s performance in Knives Out is enhanced by Rian Johnson’s script work.
It’s difficult to envision anyone else in the role because of how well Craig embodied Blanc. It is possibly most demonstrated by Blanc’s accent, which Johnson characterized as having a “light southern drawl” and was the only characteristic he gave Craig. On the podcast Happy, Sad, Confused, Craig mentioned that he spent months working with an accent coach to master the accent for Glass Onion in order to “get it as solid and as anchored in reality as possible.” Blanc’s accent and syntax have inspired countless impressions, but no one does it better than Craig. His dedication to the part is clear in the finished product.
Knives Out Script Comments by Rian Johnson improve Glass Onion.
Although Glass Onion shows no need for a prequel, Rian Johnson has a Benoit Blanc rule that states viewers will never see one about the character. Craig gave the guy on the page life in Knives Out and went even further in Glass Onion by giving him more detail. Through Craig’s portrayal of Blanc and subtle screenplay and on-screen information, such as the fact that Blanc is gay and married to Philip, who to played by Hugh Grant and makes a brief cameo in the sequel, audiences are gradually discovering more about Blanc.
Blanc’s past is not necessary for viewers to comprehend him because Johnson and Craig’s collaboration has made who he is right now very evident; we will further explore this in Knives Out 3, the following part. The only thing we know about Blanc is that he is an expert investigator. Yet, because of Craig’s delivery of his lines and Blanc’s detective work, he emerges as a recognizable and authoritative figure. Craig nevertheless managed to stand out as Benoit Blanc in both Knives Out and Glass Onion in a movie with many outstanding performances. Johnson’s writing criticisms only serve to highlight his performance.