Warning! Spoilers ahead for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star Janelle Monáe reveals the hint that was hidden in plain sight regarding the movie's big Andi twist. Serving as a sequel to the 2019 hit Knives Out, writer and director Rian Johnson's follow-up sees the return of Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc as he works to solve a new mystery. Other than Craig, the film features an entirely new cast, which includes Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, and Madelyn Cline. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was released on Netflix last month, earning strong reviews from critics and audiences alike for its clever writing, which includes the reveal that Monáe's character, Andi, is actually Andi's twin sister, Helen.
In a recent interview with Variety, Monáe reveals that there is one Easter egg in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery that hints at Andi's real identity, which is hidden in plain view from the start. The actor explains that Helen's Andi hairstyle, which is actually revealed to be a wig, features a subtle difference from the real Andi's hair. Check out Monáe's full comment below regarding the hint that only eagle-eyed viewers would have caught:
“Helen’s wig is something Rian and I talked about. When she’s acting as Andi, and nobody knows it’s her, the parting of her hair is on the opposite side. The idea is that she is a mirror image of her sister.”
Why Glass Onion's Andi Twist Works So Well
Some detractors have pointed out that certain twists in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery are too obvious and that the film isn't as clever as it thinks it is. In fact, however, that's entirely the point. The "Glass Onion" part of the film's title becomes clear by the end of the story, reinforcing the trap people sometimes fall into of over-analyzing and searching for a hidden meaning in something that is exactly as simple as it appears on the outside. As a follow-up to the deliciously clever Knives Out, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery subverts expectations by featuring reveals that are clever in the sense that they're actually kind of simple.
The hairstyle hint regarding the twist that Andi is actually Helen also plays into many of the other big reveals in the movie. Miles, Norton's billionaire character, is revealed to be the (rather inept) killer at the end, something that feels painfully obvious in hindsight. With Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Johnson capitalizes on viewers' expectations from the first Knives Out, crafting a film that uses distraction to hide a truth that's been in plain view all along. Although Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery's twists didn't work for all viewers, they are clearly part of Johnson's larger vision for the film, which is baked into every major plot point and reveal.
What's Next For The Knives Out Franchise?
After the success of the first movie, Johnson and Craig were part of a massive $250 million deal in which Netflix acquired the rights to two future sequels. That means that after Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, another film with Blanc is on the cards. Johnson recently revealed that he's only just started to work on another movie in the franchise, which means plot details are still unknown, but the writer/ director teases that Knives Out 3 will be very different from what has come before. Like the latest sequel, the third entry will also, apart from Craig, feature an entirely new cast.
Source: Variety