'Glass Onion' Star Janelle Monáe Reveals Subtle Details That Hint at Their Characters' Backstory

SPOILER WARNING: This story contains major spoilers for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery "currently streaming on Netflix.

"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" by Rian Johnson is filled with easter eggs that are in plain sight, but it takes an eagle-eyed onlooker to find them.

Daniel Craig is back as Detective Benoit Blanc and is "mysteriously" invited to join Miles Bron , a billionaire technician played by Edward Norton, on his private Greek island. Bron invited his close circle of friends consisting of a cast of characters played by Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick and Madelyn Cline for a murder mystery weekend. Janelle Monáe's Andi is also invited for the shenanigans despite her character's recent falling out with the band and losing a lawsuit against Bron.

The big reveal that comes halfway through the film, after Bautista's character dies, c is that Andi is not who she says she is, but in fact, her twin sister Helen.

Head of the hair department, Leslie Bennett, received specific notes. "Rian wanted Andi and Helen to have two different looks."

As a businesswoman, Andi's hair was smooth and polished. Says Bennett, "She was the pioneer type of business." Adds Monae of the blonde bob wig, "She's so put together and she's so spiky, so we wanted her hair to be as spiky as she is."

As for Helen's wig, Monáe teases a prominent Easter egg. "Helen's wig is something Rian and I have talked about. When she's playing Andi, and no one knows it's her, her hair part is on the opposite side. Monáe explains, " The idea is that she is a mirror image of her sister."

Audiences can see the real Helen when she first meets Blanc. The character is a schoolteacher whose wardrobe consists of cardigans and boxy t-shirts. Bennett says, "Helen's original look was more natural and effortless." The look was long natural black curly hair. It was a look that Bennett says she was thrilled to showcase "because of its texture."

On closer inspection, when Helen pretends to be Andi, Monáe points out that Helen had to cut her hair, and put on a wig, "so it wasn't going to be as perfect as Andi's."

Makeup artist Golden (Sun Shyne) stepped in to add small details. “She made my skin golden,” Monáe says. “We were in 110 degree weather so I was able to tan really quickly, and we had to make sure the foundation matched. We wanted Helen and Andi to look natural. So when you first see me getting out of the car and all the troublemakers are staring at me, we wanted that dewy skin look. There was no lipstick, and we kept it natural. »

Another difference is in the eyebrow. Helen's eyebrows are naturally thicker, compared to Andi who had hers waxed and shaped. Said Monáe, “If you're Helen, pretending to be Andi, they had to be darker and thicker. But if you're Andi, they had to be neat.”

Johnson paid meticulous detail giving hints along the way. There was also a lot of foreshadowing.

The film opens as Bron sends his friends a mysterious puzzle box that includes the Invitation to Murder Mystery Weekend Inside It. Monáe says the audience first meets Andi as she smashes the puzzle box. But it's not really her, but rather her sister Helen. "Rian and I were talking about this idea that she should have a towel around her head, so you don't know who that is and what Andi looked like." They continue, "Looking at this scene, I like to say it's a foreshadowing of what's to come in the end."