In Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the world’s most debonair detective trades in Greece’s sandy beaches and heads to a leafy hamlet in upstate New York, where he investigates a whodunnit of biblical proportions — and a roster of dubious suspects.
Writer-director Rian Johnson puts his own spin on the genre with each Benoit Blanc mystery, pressing on the pain points of contemporary society with the help of bespoke starry casts. “What we’re doing with this is trying to get a different pace, feel, and interaction with a new cast,” describes Daniel Craig, who plays Blanc. “As the regular character, the joy of it has been: Who are we getting in to play this?”
In Wake Up Dead Man, chief of police Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) taps Blanc to solve an impossible crime that takes place at a local church called Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. There, Blanc finds Monsignor Jefferson Wick (Josh Brolin) and Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) leading a congregation of wicked wolves played by Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
The actors were more convivial to each other in real life than their characters are in Wake Up Dead Man, and many were longtime fans of each other’s work. “Working with this particular ensemble has been nothing but inspiring,” says Close. “When you see people doing wonderful work, it just makes you want to be better yourself.”
Casting directors Mary Vernieu and Bret Howe, both of whom worked on Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, returned to assemble another jam-packed cast. The once-in-a-generation actors didn’t need much convincing to join the franchise. “I don’t think there’s anybody we went for that we didn’t get,” says Craig. As Howe puts it, “So many actors just want to work with Rian.”
Johnson channeled this star power into onscreen camaraderie and chemistry by setting up a green room where the actors could pass the time in between takes. There, Brolin and Close played backgammon, O’Connor practiced a best man speech he was writing for a friend’s wedding, Close’s dog Pip kept them all entertained, and Scott took naps. The cast also bonded in an active WhatsApp group chat — but because this was a Benoit Blanc movie, all the actors had code names. “The experience of making these movies, and the chemistry between these incredible actors, are why we love doing them,” says the writer-director. “You get great actors together, let them hang out, and games will ensue. We’ve been very lucky to have assembled a first-class group of people who bond like family on and off set, and that was especially true with this one.”
Below, meet the murderers’ row cast of characters in Wake Up Dead Man, in theaters Nov. 26 and on Netflix Dec. 12.
The world’s greatest and most fashionable detective heads to a small-town church to solve a case that takes him in a holy new direction.
With each case Blanc tackles, we learn more about the man behind the Southern accent and impeccable suiting. “My approach with Blanc is more about asking, ‘How can we surprise and delight audiences? What can Blanc’s role be that we haven’t seen him do before?’ ” says Johnson. “I approach it that way as opposed to thinking, ‘Let’s learn more about Benoit Blanc.’ ”
In Craig, Johnson finds a steadfast and playful collaborator. “The reason I’m still making these movies is because I love working with Daniel,” says Johnson. “He’s so good at what he does. It’s nice to have a creative partner in these because each movie is exciting and we’re not sure if we can pull it off. To push into new territory with this movie was really thrilling, and I was happy I had a friend with me.”
Casino Royale, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Jud Duplenticy is a boxer turned priest who found Christianity after tragedy struck in the ring. “Jud is incredibly good-hearted and wants to be a good priest and help people. He's our way into the story,” says Johnson.
Blanc may be the only recurring major character, but in each film, there’s always another character with real stakes in the mystery. “The secret to each one of these movies is that Benoit Blanc is not the main character of these films,” says Johnson. “Josh’s character, Jud, is that character in this movie.”
O’Connor takes up the mantle with empathy and a dose of humor. “Josh is a dream. All of my filmmaker friends are sick to death of me telling them, ‘You have to work with Josh O’Connor.’ He has an incredible toolbox at his disposal, and he’s also so charismatic and such a lovely guy to work with,” says Johnson. “He’s a special actor who has a lot of charisma onscreen and also just has an incredible range to draw from. I feel really lucky he’s in this movie.”
Challengers, La Chimera
Jefferson Wicks is the firebrand monsignor at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. “He rules with an iron fist through anger and fear,” says Johnson.
“Besides being so much fun to work with, Brolin ate the part up and completely attacked it,” adds the writer-director. Brolin dove headfirst into the complicated character, bringing a dose of humanity that made Wicks more compelling and realistic. “What makes Wicks tick is a very human thing: the notion of us against them. Wicks uses that as a manipulative tactic to bond and radicalize the people close to him. He also genuinely believes it.”
No Country for Old Men, Avengers: Endgame
Martha Delacroix is a devoted servant to the church, and her loyalty to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude is unmatched. She has long been held in high regard by the small-town parish’s lineage of priests.
Each Wake Up Dead Man actor heaped effusive praise on Close, but Johnson describes how little ego the eight-time Oscar-nominated legend brought to the production. “Every single day that she’s on set, it’s as if she’s just got her first job. She’s so excited to be there. She has this kind of giddy, boundless enthusiasm for the work of making movies and it’s infectious,” says the writer-director. “Glenn Close is now one of my favorite people after having worked with her. It’s an example of how meeting one of your heroes and getting to work with them makes you appreciate them even more.”
Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons
Geraldine Scott is the local chief of police. “Geraldine’s very good at her job and does not suffer fools,” says Johnson.
“It’s a little bit of a trope, the tension between the charismatic detective who comes in and the local police chief,” adds the director. “Mila’s not what you would expect as a chief of police, but if you talk to her for two minutes, she has a sense of authority to her that I find really compelling. She’s incredibly smart and very sharp.”
Black Swan, Bad Moms
Nat Sharp is a local doctor caught in a crisis. “His wife just left him, and he’s in a dark, spiraling place,” says Johnson.
His character may be debilitated by bitterness, but Renner surprised everyone with how silly he was between scenes. “Everyone walked away from it saying, ‘Jeremy Renner’s agent has to get him more comedies because he’s incredibly funny.’ ”
The Hurt Locker, The Town
An accomplished attorney, Vera Draven had big dreams after law school that fizzled when she took over her dad’s small-town practice at his bequest. “Kerry found a really beautiful way into the character. Vera reckons with the people she’s put loyalty towards and has a real transformation over the course of the movie,” says Johnson. “Kerry is one of those actors I’ve been wanting to work with for a long time.
Ray, Django Unchained
Lee Ross is a popular science fiction author who’s gone off the grid. “He would’ve been Asimov back in the day, or George R.R. Martin, but a sci-fi writer,” says Johnson. “He moved to this tiny town and started getting very angry on social media. He’s been knocked down a couple of pegs in his popular standing, and he’s very desperate to get back on the bestseller shelves.”
Even on such a star-studded set, Johnson kept catching himself in shock at Scott’s participation. “I would spot Andrew Scott and get a bit nervous because I’m like, ‘Oh my God, we have Andrew Scott on it.’ Seeing the trifecta of him, O’Connor, and Daniel riff off of each other and take the piss out of each other was really funny.”
All of Us Strangers, Spectre
Simone Vivane was once a world-class cellist, but her career came crashing down when chronic pain from a nerve condition prevented her from playing her beloved instrument. “She has moved to this small town and found the church and Wicks. Though she has some conflict about it, she finds herself drawn to the strength of that faith and the answers it can provide,” says Johnson. “That gets challenged over the course of the story.”
The writer-director was thrilled by the opportunity to work with the up-and-coming actor. “Cailee Spaeny is an incredibly talented actor. I had been a fan of her work for a long while,” he says. “Cailee finds a beautiful, human, pure, and honest way into the desperate need to believe.”
Alien: Romulus, Civil War
A “hashtag statesman,” Cy Draven is someone whose political dreams are bigger than his following. “Cy is very ambitious and made a run at politics and fell on his face,” says Johnson. “He’s got that sharklike hunger. He sees an opportunity through Monsignor Wicks to climb the political ladder again. He’s in the right-wing media sphere. He doesn’t really believe in anything, though.”
Cy is also Vera’s adopted son.“To Cy, Daryl brings this need to belong somewhere and need for a father figure,” says the director. “Daryl’s a tremendous actor. I’m excited to see what he continues to do.”
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Twisters
Samson Holt is the longtime groundskeeper of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. “If you’re going to have overgrown church graveyards, you need a groundskeeper with a scythe wandering through it in the fog,” says Johnson. “He’s a great salt-of-the-earth guy.”
Sideways, Spider-Man 3
When Father Jud — self described as “young, dumb, and full of Christ” — punches a deacon, Bishop Langstrom sends him to Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in the hopes that he’ll bring some of his optimistic perspective to the soured parish.
American Fiction, The French Dispatch
The Bad Seed. The Harlot Whore. Grace is Wicks’s mother, known throughout the film by a slew of unsavory names.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
Louise is a worker at a local construction company in Chimney Rock. Read more about Bridget Everett on Tudum.
Somebody Somewhere, Patti Cake$
