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

Hollywood Journal

'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.

00:09There'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.

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

00:23There's no obvious red herrings.

00:25You know, there's enough, there are enough motives at play

00:29and there's enough reasons for everyone.

00:32And people are good enough and bad enough that anyone is on the table.

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

00:37Yeah, yeah.

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.

00:49And 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.

00:56That will project.

00:57That will blow my mind, yeah.

00:58It's so true.

00:59It's really fun.

01:00Josh.

01:01B.

01:02Did you?

01:03Josh B.

01:04Josh C.

01:05That 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.

01:14Or the reason for the disappearance.

01:16I 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 and got super scared about.

01:29And finally found my way out once I got paid.

01:33What?

01:34What?

01:35How do you keep this in such a good way?

01:36Meaning the end.

01:37Meaning the end.

01:38Is it harder now than the first one or easier to keep spoilers out of the conversation?

01:44You know what?

01:45I've found it's, we've been, I mean I think the press in general is incredibly cool when

01:51it comes to spoilers.

01:52And I feel like weirdly the internet is also, like I feel like people if they, especially

01:57if 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 how little issue we've had with all these movies

02:12with spoilers.

02:13Yeah.

02:14Also they're weirdly for whodunits they're hard to spoil.

02:17Like even if you said X did it at the end of it.

02:20It'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.

02:28Yeah.

02:29Compared to the previous two movies.

02:31Better.

02:32Better.

02:33Better.

02:34Good answer.

02:35Good answer.

02:36Good answer.

02:37Not my question.

02:38Sorry.

02:39But it's more specific.

02:40Apologies.

02:41There's also a good answer.

02:42No it's what, like if you were to kind of pick, okay the vibe of each movie is X, Y,

02:43or Z.

02:44What would be the vibe of this production, this set compared to the other two?

02:47Not 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.

02:54Yeah, cheeky.

02:55Cheeky.

02:56I 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

03:01what it was and so it was kind of forming this group.

03:04The second one was its own deal because we were off overseas during COVID, locked down

03:09together.

03:10And this one, I don't know, it's kind of just a lovely group of people who are incredibly

03:15good at what they do, just 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

03:25of vibe to it.

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

03:29But yeah, I don't know.

03:30It's a lovely group.

03:31We'll take lovely.

03:32Père Lachaise Cemetery.

03:33A what?

03:34A wedding.

03:35A wedding.

03:36Oh yeah?

03:37How about that?

03:38Yeah, that's a good idea.

03:39No, not really.

03:40It didn't work.

03:41It didn't land.

03:42Why not?

03:43I don't care.

03:44You try and it doesn't land.

03:45Obviously it's a cool call to get, to be asked to be in one of these movies.

03:46The best.

03:47But did 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?

03:54Are you sure you meant to call me?

03:55No, there 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.

04:14I don't remember because I don't remember a lot.

04:16But I don't remember whether you actually described fully the character.

04:21Did you?

04:22Probably at some point.

04:23Probably at some point.

04:25Probably not.

04:26But on that first call, I don't know.

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

04:30Yeah, yeah.

04:31Like whether there was anything.

04:32I'm thrilled.

04:33Thrilled.

04:34Of 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.

04:40True.

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

04:43I can't imagine.

04:44Who will you take a call from?

04:46You go, ha!

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

04:52In 2025?

04:53In 2025?

04:54Never.

04:55No bad news in 2025.

04:56Yeah.

04:57It's all, everything's going great.

04:59Yeah.

05:00Does anybody have anything random in common with their characters?

05:05No, we just resorted to acting.

05:07Yeah.

05:08Fortunately.

05:09Well, some of us did.

05:11Wow.

05:13Someone was better than others.

05:15Shouts by close.

05:16Shouts by close.

05:17Shouts by close.

05:18Shouts by close.

05:19Shouts 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.

05:29Or I guess at night.

05:30Mm-hmm.

05:31A lot of like murder mystery games, like formal games, right?

05:33Yeah.

05:34Murder mystery games, et cetera.

05:35And 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.

05:40Yeah.

05:41I 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 room.

06:00Well, you and Mila played a lot of backgammon.

06:02Yeah, Mila and I played backgammon.

06:04But it was much more organic, this group.

06:07Yeah.

06:08It was like we weren't isolated, which makes us a superior cast.

06:12Yeah.

06:13We 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.

06:30You could just sit back in our little tent and just listen to like stories.

06:37So many things going on, so many funny people, you know.

06:43It just was endlessly funny and fascinating.

06:47Did you bring your dog?

06:48I did, of course.

06:49Yes.

06:50Pip.

06:51So did Carrie.

06:52I can tell you all about it.

06:53Yeah.

06:54Can you though?

06:55No.

06:56No.

06:57Josh is the one person that can't say anything about it.

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 right.

07:12That's exactly right.

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

07:18Here he comes again.

07:21Oh, God.

07:22That's so true.

07:23Trying to embrace you.

07:24So true.

07:25He's thirsty.

07:26A couple questions I'm asking everybody who comes through this weekend.

07:29Number one, what is on like a first job or an early job, what is, what was a splurge

07:35you gave yourself?

07:36Like what was kind of your first big splurge or treat for yourself?

07:39When I did Save the Last Dance, we used to still get cash per diem.

07:44Per diem.

07:45Per diem, yeah.

07:46And I used to hide my cash per diem under the mattress in the hotel that I was staying

07:50in.

07:51And at the end of that movie, I bought my first laptop with my saved up.

07:54Oh, that's a good one.

07:56That's really cool.

07:57I remember paying rent in London, my first job.

08:03And it was the first time I'd ever had to say to my landlord, please, like, can you wait

08:08one more month?

08:09And I got this TV job, I had two lines, and I was able to present my money on time.

08:14First time ever.

08:15Wow.

08:16That's pretty good for you.

08:17I think my first splurge, because I'm not a shopper, so, but was, and bless his heart,

08:25we've lost him now, when Giorgio Amani had his first little boutique up on Madison.

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

08:39with these fabulous square shoulders.

08:42And I still have it.

08:43That'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.

08:54I know.

08:55And it's so obvious to these guys.

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

09:04and I had stolen, I had found part of her stash in a drawer, behind a drawer, and I had

09:14stolen it.

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

09:18That is so nice.

09:19You put it back in the drawer?

09:20No, I gave it to her.

09:21Oh, no.

09:22And I said, and 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.

09:28That's so cute.

09:29Karma, man.

09:30I believed in karma at 17 years old.

09:32Wow.

09:33Yeah.

09:34That's the truth.

09:35Love.

09:36Yeah.

09:37I'll see you next time.

09:38Bye.

09:39Bye.

09:40Bye.

09:41Bye.

09:42Bye.

09:43Bye.

09:44Bye.

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

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