Josh Brolin has expressed fondness for his fellow actors in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
This movie marks the third entry in the acclaimed Knives Out series, featuring a star-studded ensemble as in its predecessors.
Returning to the role of Benoit Blanc is Daniel Craig, with newcomers Mila Kunis, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, and Andrew Scott joining the detective in this intriguing murder mystery.
Despite the challenge of working with so many prominent figures, the cast of Wake Up Dead Man appeared to bond exceptionally well.
Glenn Close, known for her role in Fatal Attraction, expressed her excitement about being part of the project, stating to Entertainment Weekly, “I never thought of myself in one of the Knives Out movies, and I was so thrilled to be included.”
During a Q&A session at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, the 78-year-old actress praised her co-stars, saying, “We just became this wonderful ensemble company. And we kept each other company through the whole shoot.”
She added, “We were always in our tent laughing, sleeping, reading, getting to know each other. It’s one of the great gifts to have such an intense experience with people who you know will be your dear friends for the rest of your life.”
Josh Brolin humorously described their camaraderie as being ‘like an orgy.’
Reacting to this, Mila Kunis remarked, “Oh my God. Really, Josh?”
Kunis echoed Close’s sentiments, saying, “This has been a dream,” and noting, “An absolute dream to work with everybody, and one of the greatest productions I’ve ever been on and probably will ever be on.”
She also extended her gratitude to the film’s director, Rian Johnson, for bringing the cast together.
The film, set to premiere on Netflix in December, features an impressive lineup, but Johnson has previously mentioned wanting to include even more iconic characters, namely The Muppets.
Initially a humorous suggestion, Johnson later entertained the idea of a Muppets crossover.
He commented in 2023, “It’s a joke that I thought was pretty brilliant, and I ended up really giving [it] some serious thought.”
Despite his interest, Johnson acknowledged the potential challenges, saying, “As much as I take the murder mystery genre seriously, I take the genre of a Muppet movie seriously, I think those two things have very different rules.”