In Rian Johnson‘s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, constant twists and turns await the viewer, as nothing is as it seems when a billionaire (Edward Norton) invites his closest friends — and detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) — on an island getaway-turned-murder mystery. And that includes the film’s casting, which not only features a stellar main ensemble including Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, Dave Bautista, and Madelyn Cline, and the incredible Janelle Monáe, but a bonkers collection of famous faces from all realms of pop culture as cameos.
So in tribute to those wild casting choices, let us rank them from “enjoyable” to “what a wonderful surprise.” From the world of sports to the realm of fictional detectives, the 10 cameos listed below are just one facet of what makes Glass Onion so special.
[Editor’s note: The following contains mild spoilers for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.]
10. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber (Showtime)
So on the one hand, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s appearance in this film, as is traditional for most Rian Johnson films, is pretty damn tiny — his voice was the basis for the sound of the Hourly Dong which resounds across Miles Bron (Edward Norton)’s Greek island. But in a way, he perhaps could be considered the voice of the island itself? So while his contribution is technically small, one could say this is his biggest role yet.
09. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
One of Benoit Blanc’s Among Us bathtub buddies — an odd phrase to type out, but it does make sense in context. The basketball player-turned-professional writer (he was on the writing staff for Veronica Mars Season 4!) is perhaps one of the more random appearances in the film, and is ranked the lowest amongst the aforementioned bathroom buddies because of that random-ness; the Veronica Mars thing might be his closest connection to the world of murder mysteries, and he doesn’t get as much oxygen as the other notable cameos in the scene.
08. Jackie Hoffman
Really, Jackie Hoffman’s role as Duke Cody (Bautista)’s mother doesn’t count as a cameo… unless you consider Jackie Hoffman to be an increasingly iconic comedy force in our culture today. And after her recent appearances in projects including Shiva Baby, Only Murders in the Building, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Search Party, and The Other Two… yeah, Jackie Hoffman’s an icon.
07. Stephen Sondheim
Not necessarily who you think of when thinking about non-human-pie-related murders… Well, okay, he also wrote Assassins. Point is, it’s unexpected, but more sweet than bitter, to see him also included in the Among Us gang.
