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Going with a strong accent in a movie -- especially when it’s not their own native accent -- can have mixed results for actors. Daniel Craig’s over-the-top Southern accent in Knives Out certainly rides that fine line between charming and ridiculous. Ana de Armas, who also worked with Daniel Craig in the James Bond film, No Time To Die, is definitely a fan of the accent, though.
Both Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig’s characters, Marta Cabrera and Benoit Blanc, have noticeably different accents than the rest of the cast. Since the family of recently deceased Harlan Thrombey are from Massachusetts, they all had similar, WASP-y accents.
This connection between their characters wasn’t why Ana de Armas was so smitten by James Bond actor’s distinctive drawl, however. She admitted as much on the Knives Out Blu-ray extras.
I feel much better that he is doing that accent because I’m not the only one on set that needs a coach, dialect coach.
Ana de Armas hails from Cuba, where she began her film career at the age of 18. After spending a few years in Spain to pursue both film and TV roles, she moved to the US in 2014. When she first settled in L.A., Ana de Armas only spoke Spanish, but she soon learned to speak English.
As a recent learner of English, it must have been nice to not be the only person on set working with a dialect coach. Of the two, I'd have to guess it was Daniel Craig who probably needed more coaching. Not only was the British actor doing an American accent, he'd chosen a very specific one to work with (although he had attempted a southern accent in previous projects like Logan Lucky, so this wasn't totally unfamiliar territory).
The entire cast of the dark comedy got along extremely well. Instead of retreating to their trailers between scenes, the Knives Out ensemble cast apparently mostly hung out together on the large New England estate where the film was largely shot.
The obvious chemistry between the cast is one part of the reason the movie was so successful. Knives Out won the Satellite Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture, which was only natural. The film also grossed $293.7 million at the box office.
Daniel Craig’s flamboyant turn as Detective Blanc in particular was such a hit that a sequel to the movie was ordered. Director Rian Johnson said he’d had such a blast with the detective, he wouldn’t mind bringing him back for more adventures prior to the announcement and now it's all happening! Unfortunately, Ana de Armas is unlikely to be back for the next round.
Knives Out is available now on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K.
