The first Knives Out film premiered on Netflix in 2019, where we watch him unravel the tangled threads surrounding the mysterious death of a renowned crime novelist, starring Daniel Craig. Craig’s portrayal of the eccentric detective with a distinct Southern personality, Benoit Blanc, was a pleasing surprise that was a breath of fresh air, retaining the mystery necessary to establish him as a trustworthy detective while maintaining an undeniable charisma that makes it impossible not to like him. The second film of the franchise, Glass Onion, focuses on a brand new mystery when the annual holiday of a group of unlikely friends is disrupted by the presence of Benoit Blanc. We see a different side of Blanc in Glass Onion and even get to know him on a more personal level.
Is Benoit Blanc Gay?
Yes! Benoit Blanc is indeed queer. We learn this about Benoit in the middle of the second movie in the Knives Out franchise: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. This was not directly addressed in the film, but it is implied that Benoit lives in an apartment with his partner. After Cassandra Brand is shot and her body lies on the outdoor steps of Miles’ home, Benoit ushers everyone inside as he proceeds to tell them the ‘details’ he learned that will point them to the killer. The screen turns black. We are taken to a flashback, right at the moments we saw at the beginning of the movie when Beniot played the game Among Us with friends online over lockdown. It seems the isolation and the lack of action is getting to him, with Benoit coping by spending more time in his bathtub. We then see someone knocking on his front door - we assume that this someone is the pizza delivery person Benoit said gave him the puzzle box - but it turns out to be Helen Brand, Cassandra’s twin sister. This is a whole different mystery altogether, but we turn our attention to the person opening the door.
Read more: Glass Onion Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer, and Everything We Know
Who is His Partner?
We hear Benoit ask someone to get the door, and we hear another voice asking him if he is in the bath again. The door opens, and we are greeted by Philip, who is wearing an apron and holding a jar of dough starter with bits of flour speckled on his face. Philip is played by Hugh Grant, one of the most sought-after men in Hollywood. We know very little about Philip except that he likes to dabble in baking.
How Did Fans of Knives Out React?
In general, fans reacted positively to Benoit Blanc’s revelation, but it still came with a healthy amount of criticism. When Knives Out creator and director Rian Johnson held a stage conference during the London Film Festival, as covered by Digital Spy, he was asked about the scene that confirmed Benoit’s queerness: There have been discussions about Johnson possibly queerbaiting. Still, with his history of progressive movies, we may have to wait and see what his intentions were and if this qualifies as queerbaiting.
