While speaking to Empire via their Spoiler Special podcast on the movie Glass Onion which is now the number two movie on Netflix, Rian Johnson opened up on the process of writing his latest murder-mystery, and he mentioned why gives a special thanks to Bill Hader in the credits.
Courtesy of Netflix
One of the film’s most vital and complex characters was the dual role of Andi and Helen Brand played by Janelle Monáe, two characters who despite being sisters, were from completely different worlds. The character of Andi was written as a smart, sharp businesswoman, who had been robbed of her fortune and her company by Edward Norton’s Miles Bron and betrayed by her friends before being killed off by him. After that, Johnson had to write an entirely new character, her twin who was then introduced to the group. Johnson admits that this particular part is something he struggled with. It was with this that part that SNL alumn and Barry creator, writer and director Bill Hader assisted Johnson.
Courtesy of Netflix
“Figuring out how to get that emotional investment from the audience with Helen was difficult. I thank him in the credits, but Bill Hader, who’s a really smart filmmaker, gave me a note on the script to say I’d written her closer to Andi in her character type.” Says Johnson “Andi was successful in her field, a big hitter like everyone else. Hader said she should be completely out of this world, she should be a school teacher or have kids, and be a fish out of water, and immediately I thought ‘that’s it’.”
So with Hader’s help and Rian Johnson’s magic he turned that note into a plot twist that none of us saw coming “Having Helen show up and be a very different person and be someone that we as the audience worry about was the key, we wanted the audience to worry she might actually be killed” Said Johnson.
Anyone else thinking these two should make a movie together?
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is streaming on Netflix now.
Fangirl and Writer with a huge passion for entertainment.
