Glenn Close Was Like a ‘Puppy’ on the Set of ‘Knives Out 3’, Says Director (Exclusive)

Glenn Close had an infectious energy on the set of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, according to writer-director Rian Johnson.

Johnson, 51, thought he might be “intimidated” to work with the eight-time Oscar nominee, 78, because of her “legendary career” — but he was immediately put at ease by her enthusiasm for making the murdery mystery starring Daniel Craig as brilliant detective Benoit Blanc.

“When she shows up on set though, she’s not jaded. She’s not like an elder statesman. She is like a little puppy that is so excited to do the work,” he continues.

In the third Knives Out movie, Close plays Martha Delacroix, the church manager at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in upstate New York. She’s fiercely loyal to fiery monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), who’s murdered during an Easter week service.

The prime suspect is Rev. Jed Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), a normally mild-mannered man who, in a fit of frustration, threatened Wicks in an incident that was caught on camera. Once again, the eccentric Blanc turns up to find the culprit.

Johnson recalls how Close stayed on set to observe even when her workday was over.

“I remember one day we wrapped her early,” Johnson recalls. “And I started shooting a scene with Josh and Daniel. And we were in there blocking the scene and I was backing up and I ran into someone and it was Glenn in her street clothes in the corner.”

“And she had just stuck around. She could have gone home. She has stuck around to watch because she’s like, ‘I just want to watch these two actors and see how they approached this scene.’ And that’s Glenn close,” he adds.

In a recent interview with Variety, Close recalled bonding with the large ensemble cast.

“There’d be a table of tea, coffee and some weird English candy,” Close told the outlet. “Jeremy Renner had a special chair because he was recovering from his [snowplow] accident. Andrew Scott, who was doing another movie at the time and was tired, would nap. And I would play backgammon with Mila Kunis or Josh O’Connor. There was lots of laughing.”

O’Connor tells PEOPLE it was Kunis who was Close’s true board game opponent: “We lost Mila and Glenn for a couple of weeks. They were in head-to-head battle all the time.”

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now in theaters and streaming on Netflix on Friday, Dec. 12.