Rian Johnson on How the 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Cast Bonded on Set | TIFF 2025 - video Dailymotion

The Hollywood Reporter

'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' stars Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington and Josh Brolin, as well as filmmaker Rian Johnson, stopped by THR's TIFF suite at the 1 Hotel in Toronto to talk about the third film in the 'Knives Out' franchise. The stars opened up about the film's script and called the movie's ending "impossible" to guess. Plus, they shared their reactions to being asked to join the 'Knives Out' universe.

Transcript

00:00Did anyone guess the ending?

00:03No, not in a thousand years.

00:06No, it is impossible.

00:08There's no way.

00:15What's so great about it, I remember reading this and saying this to Ryan,

00:18there are also no red herrings.

00:20That's something really great about these movies.

00:23There's no obvious red herrings.

00:25There are enough motives at play,

00:29and there's enough reason for everyone,

00:31and people are good enough and bad enough that anyone is on the table.

00:35There's no direct red herrings, are there?

00:37Yeah.

00:38Well, because you realize when you're making these movies,

00:40the audience is going to create their own red herrings.

00:42Exactly.

00:43Based on their own perspective.

00:45There's no need to intentionally mislead anyone.

00:47You just tell the story as straight as possible,

00:50and when you're watching it, you know it's a murder mystery.

00:52The things that audience members will come up with of,

00:54I thought it was this, I'll blow my mind.

00:57It's so true.

00:58It's really fun.

00:59Josh.

01:01B.

01:01Did you?

01:02Josh.

01:03Josh.

01:03Josh C.

01:04That is also confusing.

01:06Did you guess the twist in weapons when you read that first script?

01:12That wasn't so much of a twist.

01:13Or the reason for the disappearance.

01:15No, I just was like saturated in the absurdity of weapons,

01:19which I love because he brought a humor to it that I didn't expect,

01:23whereas this was like a labyrinth that I got really lost in

01:27and got super scared about and finally found my way out once I got paid.

01:35Labyrinth is such a good one.

01:36Meaning the end.

01:37Is it harder now than the first one or easier to keep spoilers out of the conversation?

01:43You know what?

01:44I've found it's, we've been, I mean, I think the press in general is incredibly cool when it comes to spoilers.

01:52And I feel like weirdly the internet is also.

01:54Like I feel like people, especially if they enjoy the movie, people instinctively don't want to be a dick.

02:02They want their friends to enjoy it too.

02:05So I've been actually kind of surprised at how little issue we've had with all these movies with spoilers.

02:12Also, they're, weirdly for whodunits, they're hard to spoil.

02:17Like even if you said X did it at the end of it, it's not like it would really spoil the movie really.

02:24It's kind of, they're almost made to be seen several times in that way.

02:28Oh my gosh.

02:29Compared to the previous two movies.

02:31Better, better, better.

02:32Good answer, good answer, good answer.

02:34That's not my question.

02:35All right, sorry.

02:36But it's the answer.

02:37It was also a good answer.

02:38No, it's what, like if you were to kind of pick, okay, the vibe of each movie is X, Y, or Z.

02:43What would be the vibe of this production, this set?

02:46Not the film itself, but the.

02:48Yeah, the making of.

02:49Backstage vibe.

02:50That's interesting.

02:51I mean, they've all been very.

02:52Cheeky.

02:53Distinct.

02:53Yeah, cheeky.

02:55Cheeky.

02:55I think it was, yeah, I don't know.

02:57It's interesting because the first one, it was kind of, we were kind of still learning what it was.

03:01And so it was kind of forming this, this group.

03:03The second one was its own deal because we were off overseas during COVID, we locked down together.

03:09This one, I don't know, it's kind of just a lovely group of people who are incredibly good at what they do,

03:15just sort of forming this bond as we shot.

03:18And I think the movie has kind of like a, I don't know, a small town sort of gothic sort of vibe to it.

03:26And that's kind of infused in it all.

03:28But yeah, I don't know.

03:29It was a lovely group.

03:31We'll take lovely.

03:32Wedding at Berlachez Cemetery.

03:33A what?

03:34A wedding.

03:35Oh, yeah?

03:35How about that?

03:36Yeah, that's a good idea.

03:36No, not really.

03:37It didn't work.

03:38It didn't land.

03:39Why not?

03:39I don't care.

03:40You try and it doesn't land.

03:42Obviously, it's a cool call to get, to be asked to be in one of these movies.

03:45The best.

03:46Did any of you have questions before you said yes?

03:50Or like, what did you guys want to know when you were like having your conversations?

03:53Who were you meant to call me?

03:55Who were you meant to call me?

04:01Yeah.

04:03There was lots of discussion, I feel like.

04:06But the collaborative thing of like, you know, as we talked about each of your characters,

04:10and I feel like there was back and forth about, right?

04:13I don't know.

04:13I don't remember, because I don't remember a lot.

04:15But I don't remember whether you actually described fully the character, did you?

04:21Probably at some point.

04:23At some point.

04:25Probably not.

04:25But on that first call, I don't know.

04:27Do you mean deciding to do the movie?

04:29Yeah.

04:30Yeah.

04:30Like whether there was anything.

04:32I'm thrilled.

04:33Thrilled.

04:33Of course, you get that phone call with four of your agents on it.

04:37You think, either it's really great news or it's really bad news.

04:41So when all four of them get on.

04:43I can't imagine.

04:44Who will you take a call from?

04:45You go, huh.

04:47I can't imagine you get bad news very often or ever from your agents.

04:52In 2025, never.

04:54No bad news in 2025.

04:56Yeah.

04:56It's all, everything's going great.

04:59Does anybody have anything random in common with their characters?

05:04No, we just resorted to acting.

05:06Yeah.

05:07Well, some of us did.

05:09Some of us are better than others.

05:16Shouts by close.

05:18Shouts by close.

05:20And I know on the last one, something that everyone talked about was because they made

05:23it in COVID, right?

05:24You guys did a lot of like, to keep yourselves busy in between scenes.

05:28Or I guess at night, a lot of like murder mystery games, like formal games, right?

05:33Murder mystery games, et cetera.

05:34And I asked if you did any this time.

05:37And Daniel Craig was like, I'm never playing a game again.

05:39I'm done with games.

05:40As such, didn't get a full answer, but did, what did you guys do on this one?

05:46What was like the theme of bonding, having fun, keeping busy at night?

05:52I know you weren't like as remote as you were in the last one.

05:55Well, we were in London, so it was a little different.

05:57Everyone was kind of, but on set, you guys were in the green.

06:00You and Mila played a lot of...

06:02Yeah, Mila and I played backgammon a lot.

06:05But it was much more organic, this group.

06:07It was like we weren't isolated, which makes us a superior cast.

06:12We weren't isolated and had to rely on each other, but we chose to.

06:17I mean, we all had trailers, but none of us went back to our trailers.

06:20We were always wanting to hang out together and be together and spend time and talk and

06:26get to know each other and just like be.

06:29You could just sit back in our little tent and just listen to like so many things going

06:38on, so many funny people, you know.

06:43It's just so it's endlessly funny and fascinating.

06:47Did you bring your dog?

06:48I did, of course.

06:49Pip.

06:50Pip.

06:50So did Carrie.

06:51I can tell you all about that.

06:54Can you, though?

06:54No.

06:56Josh is the one person that can't say anything about that.

06:59I was like the one, I was the one person, I was the most passionate about being friends

07:03with Pip.

07:04And maybe that's why.

07:05People pleaser.

07:06Yeah, exactly.

07:07Pip could smell the desperation.

07:08The least interested in me.

07:09Pip could smell the desperation.

07:11That's exactly right.

07:13I described it as, it was the only time I've ever seen a dog roll its eyes.

07:19Here he comes again.

07:20Oh, God.

07:22That's so true.

07:23I'm doing a great game.

07:24So true.

07:25He's thirsty.

07:25A couple questions I'm asking everybody who comes through this weekend.

07:28Number one, what is on like a first job or an early job, what is, what was a splurge

07:34you gave yourself?

07:35Like what was kind of your first big splurge or treat for yourself?

07:38When I did Save the Last Dance, we used to still get cash per diem, and I used to hide

07:46my cash per diem under the mattress in the hotel that I was staying in, and at the end

07:51of that movie I bought my first laptop with my saved up.

07:54Oh, that's really cool.

07:57I remember paying rent in London, my first job, and it was the first time I'd ever had

08:04to say to my landlord, please, like, can you wait one more month?

08:08And I got this TV job, I had two lines, and I was able to present my money on time, first

08:14time ever.

08:15Wow.

08:16That's a pretty good feeling.

08:17My first splurge, because I'm not a shopper, so, but was, and bless his heart, we've lost

08:25him now, when Giorgio Amani had his first little, little boutique up on Madison, and I went

08:31in, it was in the 80s, and I bought the most beautiful double-breasted black blazer with

08:39these fabulous square shoulders, and I still have it.

08:43Oh, that's the thing about his designs, they were timeless.

08:46I know.

08:47Truly timeless.

08:48Yeah.

08:49I have a really weird one.

08:50Okay, I love it.

08:51Shocking.

08:52What?

08:53I know, I know, and it's so obvious to these guys.

08:57My mom was one of the top pyramid scheme winners, back during the original pyramid scheme, and

09:03I had stolen, I had found part of her stash in a drawer, behind a drawer, and I had stolen

09:14it.

09:15So when I did the Goonies, I paid her back, her not knowing that I had stolen it.

09:19You put it back in the drawer?

09:20No, I gave it to her.

09:21Oh, no.

09:22And she said, what is this for?

09:23And I said, it doesn't matter.

09:24Wow.

09:25That's nice.

09:26That's perfect.

09:27Wow.

09:28Wow.

09:29That's so much for you.

09:30Karma, man.

09:31I believed in karma at 17 years old.

09:32Wow.

09:33Perfect.

09:34Yeah, that's the truth.

09:35I believed in karma.

09:36I believed in karma.

09:37I believed in karma.

09:38I believed in karma.

09:39I believed in karma.

09:40I believed in karma.

09:41I believed in karma.

09:42I believed in karma.

09:43I believed in karma.

09:44I believed in karma.

09:45I believed in karma.

09:46I believed in karma.

09:47I believed in karma.

09:48I believed in karma.

09:49I believed in karma.

09:50I believed in karma.

09:51I believed in karma.

09:52I believed in karma.

09:53I believed in karma.

09:54I believed in karma.

09:55I believed in karma.

09:56I believed in karma.

09:57I believed in karma.

09:58I believed in karma.

09:59I believed in karma.

10:00I believed in karma.

Rian Johnson on How the 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' Cast Bonded on Set | TIFF 2025

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