Both Rian Johnson's movies in the Benoit Blanc murder mystery series share one important cameo, which ties Knives Out and Glass Onion together and represents a big reference to the murder mystery genre. Although Glass Onion and Knives Out differentiate in location, storyline, and even main cast, they are both evidently inspired by the whodunit genre of detective fiction. The latter is often associated with a variety of productions, but mainly the highly successful crime drama television series Murder, She Wrote, starring the late Angela Lansbury as the main character, thus associating the actor strongly with this genre.
Glass Onion and Knives Out actually share various similarities as they both adhere to the genre conventions of detective stories with detective Blanc being the only returning character for the second film and the one who investigates the murder. In fact, Glass Onion mirrors Knives Out in multiple ways across the two films. This is not only true for the narrative structure and character similarities between the two films, but also for some returning cameos. In particular, there is also one important cameo that, although not noticed by many viewers, can be seen in both Knives Out and Glass Onion.
Angela Lansbury Appears In Both Knives Out & Glass Onion
Angela Lansbury is one of the few actors that appear both in Glass Onion and Knives Out. Lansbury most famously appeared in one of the opening scenes in Glass Onion, but she also featured in the previous film in the franchise. Admittedly, Knives Out only features Lansbury for a short scene and in the role of Jessica Fletcher instead of being an actual appearance like the cameo in Glass Onion. In fact, one scene in Knives Out opens with Jessica Fletcher before cutting back to reveal that Marta's mother is watching Murder, She Wrote when Marta comes back home after meeting Blanc.
This is not the case for the sequel to Knives Out, which features the late actor in a different light. The reference to Murder, She Wrote is less evident in Glass Onion, where Lansbury appears at the beginning of the film. In Glass Onion, Angela Lansbury plays one of Blanc's friends when the detective is shown playing Among Us in a video call with some friends, all of whom are a fun celebrity cameo for the audience to discover. Therefore, it seems that Lansbury appears as herself in Glass Onion, as the name on her quarter of the screen on Blanc's laptop says "Angie."
Angela Lansbury’s Knives Out Cameos Brilliantly Honor The Murder Mystery Genre
Having Lansbury present in both movies allowed her to have multiple cameos in Rian Johnson's movies, similar to other actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt who was actually in both Glass Onion and Knives Out, and it is certainly a fun Easter egg for the viewers. However, Angela Lansbury's cameo is much more than just a cameo. It is also a clever reference to the tradition of the genre both films belong to, since Lansbury was associated with detective and crime fiction so heavily due to her iconic character Jessica Fletcher.
In fact, her presence in both films honors the genre but functions as a tribute to one of Rian Johnson's inspirations in creating the Benoit Blanc series of films. This tribute not only honors Lansbury and her character, but also suggests that Johnson's films can both pay homage to and innovate the genre, with Glass Onion continuing the Knives Out's tradition of modernizing the genre. With this reference to one of the icons of the murder mystery genre, both Glass Onion and Knives Out seem to reinforce their place in the tradition of this genre.