Of all the many iconic scenes in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out, one of the most memorable is the one where a sneering, sweater-encased Chris Evans tells all of his family members to “eat sh*t.” Something about the actor’s delivery, along with the Uncut Gems levels of cross-talk, the lightning-quick camera cuts, and the impeccably choreographed reactions of his co-stars, make it ripe for repeat viewings and dissections. Now, Johnson himself is here to explain how it all came together. Sitting down with Vanity Fair, the director whipped out his pink dry erase marker to break down the scene beat-by-beat.
Turns out, it takes a lot of work to make it look this effortless. Not only is this scene significant for comedic reasons, but it’s also quite crucial in the overall narrative of the film, establishing all the characters’ different quirks and setting up the rest of the movie. As Johnson says in the video, it’s the first scene where all the actors were on set at the same time. “It was so much fun, because everyone just showed up ready to play,” the director said. “The way it feels in the movie, that everyone’s kinda having fun, that’s genuinely the way it was on set.”
Oh and also, fun fact: apparently, villains aren’t allowed to use iPhones. No, really.
Check it out below!