There's a good reason you've never seen Joseph Gordon-Levitt's cameo in "Knives Out": the actor never appears on screen. But viewers who keep their ears perked up can catch his voice as Detective Hardrock on the TV show Marta (Ana de Armas) is watching at the beginning of the film, as reported by Us Weekly. The voice cameo is no coincidence; Gordon-Levitt and director Rian Johnson have built it into a tradition of sorts. "Funnily enough, and folks may or may not know this, I've actually gotten to cameo in every single one of Rian Johnson's films, from 'Brick' to 'The Brothers Bloom' and even 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi,'" Gordon-Levitt told the outlet. "It's a tradition that I hope we get to keep up!"
Johnson initially confirmed the cameo in a 2019 interview with Cinema Blend, though he didn't reveal the details at the time. "I will work with him any time he's available," Johnson told the outlet. I can't wait to get on a set with him again." According to the interview with Cinema Blend, JGL's schedule at the time wouldn't allow for him to physically appear in the film, so they were limited to a voice cameo in order to keep their collaborative streak going. Gordon-Levitt's cameo in "The Last Jedi" was also in voice only, providing the speaking lines for Slowen Lo, a CGI Abednedo who lived in the seedy Cantonica city of Canto Bight.
