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Joseph Gordon-Levitt confirms he had secret cameo in Knives Out nearly everybody missed

Actor said cameo was part of an ongoing ‘tradition’ with director Rian Johnson

Louis Chilton
Monday 10 May 2021 10:57 BST
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Joseph Gordon Levitt's secret cameo in Knives Out

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt has confirmed that he made a secret cameo in the 2019 mystery film Knives Out, describing it as part of a “tradition”.

The Dark Knight Rises star has appeared in every film directed by Knives Out filmmaker Rian Johnson, either in a starring capacity (in Brick, Looper and The Brothers Bloom) or via a tiny cameo (in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out).

Johnson previously told Cinema Blend in 2019 that he “will work with [Gordon-Levitt] any time he’s available”, telling viewers to “keep their ears open” for a “JGL cameo”.

Now, speaking to Us Weekly, the actor confirmed his presence in the film, which took the form of an tiny voice role.

“Funnily enough, and folks may or may not know this, I’ve actually gotten to cameo in every single one of Rian Johnson’s films, from Brick to The Brothers Bloom and even Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” said Gordon-Levitt.

“It’s a tradition that I hope we get to keep up!”

In Knives Out, Gordon-Levitt can be heard voicing a character called Detective Hardrock in an in-universe TV series watched by Marta (Ana de Armas) at the beginning of the film.

Because the character is never shown on screen, most viewers were unaware that Gordon-Levitt is included among the film’s cast.

Knives Out is a murder mystery caper starring Daniel Craig as southern sleuth Benoit Blanc.

Craig is set to reprise the role in two sequels directed by Johnson, the rights to which are reportedly being bought by Netflix for a sum close to $450m (£319m).

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