Wake Up Dead Man cast has a secret cameo you definitely missed
You'll need to listen closely to catch this cameo in the new Knives Out film
Wake Up Dead Man is finally streaming on Netflix, and even the biggest Knives Out fans may have missed its hidden cameo.
The third entry in Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc franchise follows the detective as he investigates an “impossible” murder in Chimney Rock, a quaint, religious town in upstate New York.
No spoilers about who dies (unless you read our ending explained), but the film also revolves around a young priest, a fire-and-brimstone “monsignor”, a devout church assistant, the local parishioners – all of whom are hiding dark secrets.
As you’d expect from a Knives Out mystery, Wake Up Dead Man has a star-studded cast… including one actor who never actually appears on-screen.
Did you spot this hidden cameo in Wake Up Dead Man?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a voice cameo in Wake Up Dead Man.
Specifically, he provides the voice for the baseball announcer you hear in several scenes of the film.
If you’re unfamiliar with Gordon-Levitt, he’s an actor known for his performances in 500 Days of Summer, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Night Before (one of the best Christmas movies of all time).
He has also appeared in every movie Johnson has ever directed, starting with 2005’s Brick, all the way through to Wake Up Dead Man. In 20 years, they’ve worked together on eight movies, and Gordon-Levitt also appeared in Johnson’s Poker Face TV show.
In an interview with CinemaBlend at the premiere of the new Knives Out, Johnson confirmed Gordon-Levitt’s cameo.
“Listen, he’s the baseball announcer on the TV, and you can hear him in one scene in particular, you really hear him talk. And I got to write baseball commentary for him to say. So, got him in,” he explained.
Gordon-Levitt has similar cameos in the trilogy’s past entries. In the first Knives Out, he voiced a TV detective, and in Glass Onion, he voiced the giant dong sound on the island.
Who else is in the Wake Up Dead Man cast?
Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man. However, Josh O’Connor arguably plays the movie’s lead character, Jud.
Craig requires no introduction (if you don’t know he played James Bond, you have a lot of catching up to do). However, O’Connor is a rising talent, having earned acclaim for his performances in Challengers, La Chimera, and God’s Own Country.
“I want to do the tragedy, do the murder mystery, do the tennis movie. I want to challenge myself,” he told W Magazine.
The Wake Up Dead Man cast also includes:
- Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix, a devout church assistant
- Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, the priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude
- Mila Kunis as Geraldine Scott, the local police chief
- Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharp, the town doctor
- Kerry Washington as Vera Draven, a local lawyer
- Andrew Scott as Lee Ross, a best-selling author
- Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane, a cellist
- Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven, an aspiring politician
- Thomas Haden Church as Samson Holt, the church’s groundskeeper
- Jeffrey Wright as Langstrom, a bishop
Bond fans will remember Wright playing Felix Leiter during the Craig era – and yes, they do share a scene together.
Speaking to Gold Derby, Johnson said there’s a “hidden benefit” of giving each movie such a strong ensemble. “Anyone of them could be tossed in the paddy wagon at the end of the movie,” he explained.
“We’re building an ensemble of suspects out of movie stars who in any other movie would be number one on the call sheet.
“That’s been a challenge, but I think that’s also why it’s worked for three movies in a row… and I think that’s because the reason they say yes to this is because they genuinely crave that experience of the ensemble.”
Read more: The best Netflix films you should watch right now
