The third film in Rian Johnson's Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man is now out in cinemas, with Daniel Craig reprising his now iconic role as Benoit Blanc.
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Craig has successfully managed to build recognition for his detective character and somewhat shake-off his association with James Bond, a role he left in 2021 with No Time to Die.
This may be because, as his Wake Up Dead Man co-star Josh O'Connor said in the upcoming issue of Radio Times magazine, which will be released on Saturday 29th November, Craig is actually nothing like 007.
Speaking in a wider interview, O'Connor said that Craig was the reason he got his role as young priest Jud Duplenticy in the new film in the first place.
"Daniel is a really incredible human being," O'Connor said. "He’s so generous with his spirit and he brought me into Knives Out. He was the one that alerted Rian to my work.
"I didn’t know that until yesterday, actually, and it’s a big deal."
Daniel Craig and Josh O'Connor in Wake Up Dead Man. Netflix
He continued: "Daniel is also a proper actor. I think we sometimes forget, because of Bond maybe, that his body of work is extraordinary and diverse. He can do tragedy, comedy, grief, drama, everything.
"And as a person, he’s just a pure collaborator – incredibly full of self-doubt and self-loathing and not knowing whether he’s doing the right thing and constantly saying to me, 'What do you think about that?'"
When it was put to O'Connor that people wouldn't expect "self-doubt" and "self-loathing" to be terms associated with Craig, he responded: "Completely. It’s partly because what he does with Bond is so confident.
"But that’s not him at all. He’s like a boy. He’s sort of this sweet, insecure man who is incredibly charming and brings you in. He’s brilliant. I loved working with him."
Wake Up Dead Man, which also stars Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Thomas Haden Church, Kerry Washington, Daryl McCormack, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny and Mila Kunis, sees Blanc investigating the seemingly impossible murder of charismatic priest Monsignor Jefferson Wicks.
It has been reviewed positively, with a current critic's score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Knives Out got 97 per cent, while its first sequel Glass Onion got 91 per cent.
The next issue of Radio Times is out on Saturday 29th November – subscribe here.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
