Daniel Craig ‘forgot’ how to do his Kentucky accent after Knives Out

Daniel Craig has admitted he ‘forgot’ how to do his distinctive Kentucky accent after Knives Out, having reprised his role of detective Benoit Blanc for the film’s follow-up, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which will be released later this year. 

In the new flick, Blanc travels to the Mediterranean to solve the latest whodunnit, arriving in Greece to ‘peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of suspects’. 

A summary from Tudum, Netflix’s official fan site, says: “If Knives Out was about the murderous ties of flesh and blood, Glass Onion makes a good case for being just as wary of one’s closest friends. 

“When tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites some of his nearest and dearest for a getaway on his private Greek island, it soon becomes clear that all is not perfect in paradise. And when someone turns up dead, well, who better than Blanc to peel back the layers of intrigue?” 

Netflix

With Craig returning as the charismatic detective, he’s revealed that there was one element of his performance that he struggled to tap back into: that Kentucky accent. 

Speaking to Empire, the actor explained how he was conscious of not letting his character tip over into caricature or ‘pastiche’, not least because the accent proved to be as much of a welcome surprise to fans as the film’s unexpected twists. 

“How the f**k do we take something that caught people’s imagination and made them talk about murder mysteries, and do it again without it becoming a pastiche of itself?” he asked. 

This included the accent, according to Craig, who was keen to ensure his performance remained realistic. 

He continued: “I went away to work with an accent coach for three or four months before we started shooting [Glass Onion]. 

“I’d forgotten the accent and I didn’t want to do a pastiche. I wanted to make it as grounded and as anchored in reality as possible.” 

Netflix

Craig also said his previous work as British spy James Bond had helped prepare him for the Knives Out sequel, as it taught him about the pressures of audience expectation. 

“I’ve spent the past 15 years of my life trying to do that in a franchise, so I’m not afraid of it,” he added.  

“If you’ve got the right people in the room and the right talent, then you can do it. Rian’s a genius writer and doesn’t want to repeat [himself]. Neither do we want to let people down; we want audiences to enjoy the world that we created in the first one and believe in this one.” 

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will premiere in select cinemas before being released globally on Netflix on 23 December.