Rian Johnson is a Stephen Sondheim fan through and through.
Look no further than Glass Onion. The second Benoit Blanc film not only drew heavily on whodunnit The Last of Sheila, which Sondheim co-wrote with Anthony Perkins, but also featured a cameo from Sondheim himself, playing Among Us alongside Blanc (Daniel Craig), Angela Lansbury, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne.
Johnson’s love for Sondheim continues in Poker Face Season 2, episode 3, “Whack-a-Mole,” written by Wyatt Cain. The episode features a running gag about FBI agents Luca (Simon Helberg) and Daniel’s (John Mulaney) love of Sondheim.
“Who’s like us? Damn few,” they say in a nod to Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.
But the Sondheim connections don’t stop there! Episode 3 star Richard Kind has starred in Sondheim shows like Road Show (formerly titled Bounce) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also starred in Documentary Now!‘s spoof of the documentary Original Cast Album: Company. You know who else starred in that parody? Mulaney, playing the episode’s Sondheim stand-in. How deep does the Johnson-Sondheim connection go?
Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards spoke to Johnson about the Sondheim references in “Whack-a-Mole” and Glass Onion, as well as the urgent need for Charlie Cale (Lyonne) to have a real human connection with each murder victim.
“Besides just being inspired by him constantly, I’ll sneak him in anywhere I can, in terms of a reference,” Johnson told Mashable of Sondheim. For more musical geekery from Johnson, watch the interview above.
The first three episodes of Poker Face Season 2 are now streaming on Peacock, with a new episode airing every Thursday.