Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery revealed a new detail about Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc: he's gay and has a long-term partner. In a recent interview, director Rian Johnson discussed the logic behind the writing decision.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery made some waves when Rian Johnson revealed that Knives Out 2 would explore Benoit Blanc's personal life a bit more. Blanc's partner appears during the film, though mostly in the background, and he refers to him as "Blanc" as a term of endearment and helps flesh out Blanc's background. The character's relationship with Blanc is not identified during the film, but Johnson simply said "of course, he is" when asked if Blanc was gay and in a relationship with the character in an after-film Q&A.
Variety spoke to Johnson and discussed the Knives Out 2 reveal with him. "We discussed it, it was something that kind of came into being through the first movie and as we got into the second," Johnson replied when asked whether he discussed it with Craig. "And it's just something that seemed like a very natural fact about the character. The movies are not - I wouldn't say our movies really explore sexuality to a huge degree, they're whodunnits."
Johnson went on to say, "It seemed very natural that that was part of just who Benoit Blanc was." The host then said it was inspiring to see an openly gay character for kids to see an on-screen representation of. Johnson said in response, "Well, I mean, that's really wonderful to hear. That's really wonderful to hear."
The revelation that Benoit Blanc is a gay man is indeed an inspiring act of representation. The character does not face any struggles related to his sexuality, nor is it a point of comment - the character simply is who he is. It feels like a positive breath of fresh air. The character's romantic storyline is not an important aspect of the main story, so it doesn't really need to be addressed in that way. Unlike other recent Netflix fare (such as Stranger Things, where Noah Schnapp had to confirm Will is gay and in love with Mike after a long storyline that felt unresolved), it feels a bit more natural for Blanc's sexuality to only be directly addressed in an interview.
With Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery coming to theaters for one week only, fans should make plans to snag their tickets while they last. The previous film was a surprise hit with audiences, and it's no doubt the sequel will bring more of the same spark to the cinema.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is out in theaters for Thanksgiving week and will be available on Netflix on December 23, 2022.
Source: Variety/Twitter