Glass Onion Star Is Still Confused About Their Part
Hugh Grant is still confused at his small cameo in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery had lots of surprises for audiences, and the inclusion of Hugh Grant in a cameo role as Benoit Blanc’s husband was one that even the Bridget Jones’s Diary star was unprepared for. Movieweb reports that in a recent interview, he admitted he didn’t understand why he was recruited for the special appearance but agreed to it because he loved the first film. According to Grant, “It is true, I’m married to James Bond… It’s the tiniest little moment…I don’t really know why they wanted to do it but anyway, I thought Knives Out 1 was brilliant, and so yeah, I thought why not?”
The character was much-discussed in the media during the time leading up to the Netflix production’s release, but the actor was never mentioned until audiences saw him on-screen. Apparently, Hugh Grant thought his Glass Onion appearance was going to be a bit more meaningful.
Janelle Monae’s character, Helen Brand, comes to seek out the intrepid detective at his home to recruit his professional expertise. She is hiring Benoit Blanc to solve a mystery at a fabulous mansion, called Glass Onion, and is greeted at the door of the flat by Hugh Grant, covered in flour from toil in the kitchen. The scene is a candid glance into the life of the soft-spoken Southern sleuth, fleshing out the character introduced in the previous Netflix presentation.
Aside from Glass Onion, Hugh Grant has a prolific acting career that started out with roles playing hapless and goofy romantic leads, such as Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility and William Thacker in Notting Hill. He took a turn from romantic lead to romantic rival in Bridget Jones’s Diary, and this new side of him expanded his resume to include other fast-talking villains like the double-crossing Fletcher in The Gentlemen. He played The Prime Minister in Love Actually, a role that has transcended the movie to be included in music videos and shorts.
With definite plans for a Knives Out 3, will Phillip return for another appearance? Since Glass Onion introduced the character in such a close personal relationship with the franchise’s hero, it is not unreasonable to believe audiences will see more of Hugh Grant in future Benoit Blanc movies. Nothing is known about the plot of the third Rian Johnson mystery but if Phillip returns in another sequel, Hugh Grant will be happy to reprise the role.
Glass Onion isn’t Hugh Grant’s only appearance in a big movie right now. The highly anticipated Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is due out in March 2023 and features the actor in another role that exercises his villain skills. The fantasy movie will star Chris Pine, Regé-Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez, and Justice Smith in an adventure that follows a charismatic thief and his party as they run afoul of powerful evil forces while questing for an ancient relic.
Both the Glass Onion cameo and the Dungeons & Dragons movie are some of Hugh Grant’s first projects following a long pandemic closure. The actor worked with Netflix during the lockdowns on the mockumentaries Death to 2020 and Death to 2021, in which he and other celebrities play fictional academics who dissect those two terrible years. Hugh Grant may not understand why he was picked to play Benoit Blanc’s husband, but for audiences, his appearance is a reminder that there are still things in this world that are heartwarming and sweet.
