Rian Johnson attained great success in his 2019 movie Knives Out, both in critical acclaim and at the box office. Consequently, he decided to extend the Knives Out franchise by releasing its sequel, Glass Onion, in 2022. Like its predecessor, Glass Onion featured several popular faces in its ensemble cast. 

The cast of Glass Onion included Daniel Craig, reprising his role as Detective Benoit Blanc, Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hann, Madelyn Cline, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, and Ethan Hawke. Naturally, you’ll expect phenomenal acting in the movie given the big names. Unfortunately, some of these actors failed to hit the nail on the head while playing their roles. Read on as we point out these movie stars in the next section.

5 Actors That Were Under Par in Glass Onion

Daniel Craig and Janelle Monáe were the best actors in Glass Onion without a doubt. Similarly, Edward Norton delivered a satisfactory performance. Ethan Hawke didn’t have enough screen time to do anything spectacular, so you can’t really blame him. Still, the other actors in the movie didn’t leave off a stellar performance.

Here are five actors who were anything but impressive in Glass Onion from those who could’ve done a bit more to the least remarkable:

5. Leslie Odom Jr.

Leslie Odom Jr. played the character Lionel Toussaint, the head scientist in Miles Bron’s company. The actor first gained major recognition in 2015 when he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical Hamilton. Although Lionel initially opposed Miles’s idea to launch Klear, he couldn’t do much about it because he was subordinate to Miles.

Throughout the movie, Leslie struggled to portray Lionel and sync with the character. However, his efforts didn’t click and he failed to steer his acting well beyond the seas of mediocrity. One notable under-par scene of Leslie was when he fell clumsily after dragging a blanket with Helen Bland (Janelle Monáe). I mean, what was that, bro?

4. Madelyn Cline

After her casting in the Netflix TV show Outer Banks, Madelyn Cline was given the role of Whiskey in Glass Onion. Whiskey was the drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend and Twitch channel assistant of Duke Cody (Dave Bautista). The character was meant to be jovial, seductive, attractive, and easy-going, which Madelyn didn’t have many problems with. Besides charming Miles Bron (Edward Norton) with her wiles in a bid to gain favor from him and being a partner to Duke, there wasn’t anything much to expect from Whiskey. Any beautiful actress could’ve played the role effortlessly.

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Despite her character’s simplicity, Madelyn had a few chances to make her character more sophisticated, like when Whiskey had a dialogue with Helen Bland. Still, she failed to make good use of the golden opportunity.

3. Kathryn Hahn

Kathryn Hahn portrayed Claire Debella, the sitting Governor of Connecticut, currently running for the US Senate. Kathryn earned popularity after appearing as a supporting actress in various comedy movies, including How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Step Brothers. Yet, she couldn’t do justice to her role in Glass Onion.  

Claire was supposed to be an aristocratic character since she was a US Governor. However, Kathryn played the role with no atom of grace, making Claire look less noble. Even though the character was loyal to Miles, she’d have shown signs of elitism at least, but she didn’t. Kathryn’s performance was also short of quality and charisma. She’d have probably done better if she was given the role of Peg, Birdie’s not-so-sophisticated assistant.

2. Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista is one name that needs no introduction in the entertainment industry. The retired professional wrestler has enjoyed success in various blockbuster movies, including Avengers: End Game, Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Dune. His roles in these movies and many others involved action scenes, which suit his abilities. Regardless, he was given a more dramatic role in Glass Onion, a role that actually required pure acting. And guess what? He fell on his face.

Bautista portrayed Duke Cody, a macho men’s rights activist (on Twitch and YouTube) and video game streamer, who’s Miles’s friend and subordinate. The movie star was too stiff in his performance and seemed to take a leaf from his acting in his action movie roles, but without the intense action, of course. Besides failing to appear natural, he couldn’t make the viewers take his character seriously. Playing an anaphylaxis-fueled death scene was also a tough row to hoe for him.

1. Kate Hudson

Arguably, Kate Hudson was the least outstanding actor in Glass Onion. The Golden Globe Award-winning actress previously starred in Almost Famous (the movie that earned her the award), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Mother’s Day. Still, she may have just inked her name on the nomination for a Golden Raspberry Award with her role as Birdie Jay in Glass Onion. Birdie Jay embodies a high-spirited supermodel turned fashion designer and one of Miles’s “weird” friends involved in the use of child labor.

Kate Hudson’s performance in Glass Onion was nothing to write home about. Almost everything she did seemed to be off– her acting was mediocre at best, her comical scenes appeared forced, her dialogues didn’t quite flow naturally, the scenes where her character was serious and those where she was playful were both flawed, and she made Birdie Jay look ridiculous. Instead of characterizing Birdie as intriguingly as possible, she slaughtered the character’s energy and visual appeal. An actress of her quality could’ve done much better.

Conclusion

Glass Onion had the potential to be an excellent film. However, the relatively poor acting was one major factor that pushed it off the course of its predecessor, Knives Out. No doubt that the above-mentioned actors would’ve made the movie meet critical expectations if they had executed their roles perfectly.