Every Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery cameo, listed and explained

Daniel Craig in Glass Onion
(Image credit: Netflix)

Benoit Blanc is back to solve another murder in Glass Onion: A Knives Out mystery. The second movie features an all-star cast including Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, and, of course, Daniel Craig. But there are also some more surprising familiar faces included in Rian Johnson’s sequel too. 

To help you spot them all, we've taken a deep dive into all of the major cameos from Knives Out 2 that we spotted. There's a lot of impressive talent here, from Hollywood actors to sporting icons. Of course, given the topic of this article, we’ll be dealing with some pretty hefty spoilers from here on out. So if you haven’t managed to catch the whodunnit on Netflix yet, bookmark this page for later on. For everyone else, let’s get stuck in.

Every Knives Out 2 cameo in order *spoilers ahead*

Jake Tapper

Jake Tapper on Real Time with Bill Maher

(Image credit: Sky Atlantic)

CNN anchor Jake Tapper has the first cameo in the Netflix movie when he interviews Claire about her senate run. He’s playing himself during the interview, quizzing Hahn’s character about her environmental policies. Tapper has been CNN’s lead Washington anchor since 2012. 

Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma in The West Wing

(Image credit: HBO)

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma also makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance at Birdie Jay’s lockdown party. He’s one of the guests who helps her work out Miles Bron’s puzzle invitation. The acclaimed cellist was a child prodigy who later attended Juilliard School, Harvard University, and Columbia University. He has received 19 Grammy Awards over his career, and recorded more than 90 albums. 

Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim

(Image credit: Getty)

The late, great Stephen Sondheim has a small role in the film when Benoit is hosting a Zoom play-along of Among Us with some friends… from his bath. The composer and lyricist was behind some of the best musicals of the 20th century, including Into The Woods, Follies, Company, and A Little Night Music. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem: Minority of One

(Image credit: HBO)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also appears over Zoom as himself. The former professional basketball player is well known for his NBA records, as well as being an actor, author, and activist. Some of his previous movies include Game of Death, opposite Bruce Lee, and Airplane! 

Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury in Buttons: A Christmas Tale

(Image credit: Paramount)

Another guest on the Zoom quiz is the late Angela Lansbury. The actor is best known for her iconic role as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, a staple of the murder-mystery genre. Just like the others on the call, she’s of the opinion that Blanc needs a new case to occupy his mind during lockdown. 

Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne in Russian Doll season 2

(Image credit: Netflix)

Russian Doll and Orange Is The New Black star Natasha Lyonne also pops up in the Zoom chat with Blanc. The actor is a close friend of director Johnson, and will be starring in his new series Poker Face alongside Adrien Brody and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. 

Ethan Hawke

Moon Knight episode 6

(Image credit: Disney/Marvel)

Ethan Hawke appears very briefly in the movie when all of Miles’ guests arrive in Greece. He’s charged with rounding them up and spraying them all with a mystery concoction. We’re not clear what exactly it is, but it seems to be some kind of vaccine as they can all take their masks off afterwards to enjoy their luxury trip. Hawke is sporting the long hair his character has in Moon Knight, the movie and MArvel series having been filmed at a similar time.

Noah Segan

Noah Segan in Knives Out

(Image credit: Lionsgate)

Don’t mind Derol, he’s just always lingering in the background on Miles’ island. The character who keeps himself out of the action is played by Noah Segan, one of Johnson’s real-life best friends. And if he looks very familiar, then that’s because he’s cameoed in almost all of the director’s movies, including the original Knives Out and Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

The Dark Knight Rises

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

While he may not physically appear in the movie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt voices Miles’ clock. Every hour, a very loud voice rings out around the island, much to the confusion of his guests. The actor also appeared in the first Knives Out movie, when he voiced a moment from the TV show Marta’s sister is watching. 

Jeremy Renner (kind of)

Hawkeye in the MCU

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Jeremy Renner may not actually appear in the movie, but we do see the Hawkeye star an awful lot. He’s the face of a brand of hot sauce which Miles has been trying to palm off to every guest. Luckily, it proves very useful when Blanc fakes Helen’s death as the bright red sauce looks a lot like blood. 

Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant in Dungeons and Dragons

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Glass Onion gives us a bit more insight into Blanc’s private life as his partner Phillip is referenced in the movie. However, it’s only when we get a flashback to Helen’s arrival at their home that it’s revealed he’s played by Hugh Grant. 

Serena Williams

Serena Williams in Pixels

(Image credit: Sony)

There are a lot of great cameos in Glass Onion, but tennis legend Serena Williams’ may just be the best. When Helen and Blanc are discussing the next stage of their plan, they hide in Miles’ state of the art gym. In the background, a video of Williams can be seen, before it becomes clear that she’s actually there on a video call waiting. Miles has been paying her to always be ready in case someone is keen for a guided work-out. 

Jared Leto, Anderson Cooper

Jared Leto as Morbius.

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Like Renner, Glass Onion also references several other stars throughout. First of all, there’s Jared Leto’s Kombucha, which is a big hit with Helen, and is actually pretty alcoholic. Then Anderson Cooper is also mentioned in a pivotal moment when Duke discusses Miles almost running him over. 


Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is out on Netflix now. For more on the movie, check out our Glass Onion ending explained and round-up of Glass Onion Easter eggs.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

Read more
Werner Herzog in The Mandalorian
Star Wars fans are sharing their favorite unbelievable canon cameos – and some of them are seriously deep-cut
Best Netflix comedy movies: Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay looking shocked at a table during the Netflix movie, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
The 25 best Netflix comedy movies to watch right now
Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek: Section 31
Star Trek: Section 31 cameo explained – breaking down the A-list appearance no one saw coming
Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx, and John Boyega in They Cloned Tyrone
The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
Al Pacino in Jack and Jill
32 movies with Oscar-winning actors in bizarre roles
Leo Woodall in Prime Target
6 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus, and more (Jan 24 - 26)
Latest in Comedy Movies
Claire Danes as Juliet and Miriam Margolyes as Nurse in the movie Romeo + Juliet.
The 33 greatest movies based on Shakespeare
The Monkey
Horror movie marketing ups its game once again, as the team behind The Monkey sends a gross-out bus to drive around Hollywood
Shrek 5
Dune and Spider-Man star Zendaya is Shrek and Fiona’s daughter in the first meme-filled teaser for Shrek 5 and this is the happiest I’ve been since Shrek 2
A Minecraft Movie stills
Jack Black playing Minecraft is the most wholesome thing you'll see all day
Blake Lively as Emily in Another Simple Favor
7 years on from the original, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick reunite in sinister, sun-soaked first trailer for comedy thriller sequel Another Simple Favor
Al Pacino in Jack and Jill
32 movies with Oscar-winning actors in bizarre roles
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog