He’s been a vampire, an alien, and a pirate. You may know him from What We Do In The Shadows or Thor: Ragnarok. Wherever you’ve seen him in front of the camera, he’s just as present behind it. Taika Waititi’s work had made him one of New Zealand’s top actors and filmmakers. So, how did he get to such a spot?
Stepping Behind The Camera
Taika started off by associating with another comedy legend in the making. Early in his career, Taika hooked up with Jemaine Clement. You may know him as the giant crab from Moana. Long before his Disney association, Clement and Waititi were known as The Humourbeasts. They were a comedy duo who quickly rose up in the ranks of New Zealand comedy.
More than acting, Taika’s focus was on filmmaking. His 2003 short film, Two Cars, One Night, was a strong showcase of New Zealand youth. So strong that it would be nominated for Best Live Action Short at the 2005 Academy Awards. While Taika didn’t win the award, he was well on his way to filmmaking greatness.
His first feature-length film was 2007’s Eagle vs Shark. A romantic comedy starring his comedy buddy, Jemaine Clement. It wasn’t exactly Oscar material but the film did play at Sundance and in American theaters. Taika was starting to become an international name. But he’d have to get in front of the camera as well if he wanted to be more well known.
Taika Acts And Directs
With the aid of collaborators Rhys Darby and Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi started acting more. In the 2010s, he appeared in various improv comedy sketches for New Zealand’s TV3. DC Comics fans may recognize him for his brief role in the 2011 Green Lantern movie. This wouldn’t be his last comic book movie, as time would tell.
Taika didn’t give up on directing during the era. In fact, he was starting to become a bigger name. For his second feature, he delivered a coming-of-age story, Boy in 2010. In New Zealand, Boy was a box office success, smashing local records. Clearly, Taika’s talents were strong. He was not only making compelling films, but those that represented New Zealand.
While Taika’s New Zealand roots were strong in his filmmaking, he also had another talent. He knew how to tap into genres with his filmmaking. His New Zealand centric films were unique and compelling for their representation. They even garnered some international attention. But aspects of horror and comic books could make him a bigger name. And that’s exactly what happened in the second half of the 2010s.
Of Vampires And Wilderpeople
The first film that made Taika more of a geeky icon came in 2014. Teaming up with Jemaine Clement, he wrote and directed What We Do In The Shadows. It was a mockumentary like The Office, but focused on the lives of vampires. Both would also appear in this film, showcasing their comedic chops with fangs. It was based on a short film they’d created previously. So they were very much at home with this absurd vampire film.
What We Do In The Shadows was a remarkable film. It made plenty of money at home and abroad to cover its budget. It also received stellar reviews. Critics praised the dark humor and documentary filmmaking. It became such a hit that it would eventually lead to a spin-off TV series of the same title. While Waititi only cameoed in the show a few times, it was also a hit TV series that continued for multiple seasons with several awards nominations.
Waititi found success with horror but stayed true to his New Zealand roots. In fact, his next film assured he could still wield comedy in his own backyard. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) was a comedic adventure about a kid and an elder connecting in the wilderness. With stellar performances by the young Julian Dennison and an old Sam Neill, this was another critical success when it debuted at the Sundance.
During this time, Taika also wrote the screenplay for Disney’s Moana. His version would have focused more on gender dynamics and family. But his script was ultimately scrapped in favor of what the final film became. That wasn’t a major problem, though. Taika would get another chance to work with Disney soon after and it was a much bigger project. How big? It was Marvel Cinematic Universe big.
Taika Enters Marvel
2017 was the year Taika Waititi became a big studio director. He would helm Disney’s Thor: Ragnarok, the third Thor film in the MCU. A refreshing and charming detour from the past two Thor movies. While the other films felt somewhat stock as superhero myths, Waititi leaned in heavier to the sci-fi weirdness.
Thor: Ragnarok was a departure by taking place almost entirely off of Earth. Thor would have to work alongside Loki, Hulk, and the addition of Valkyrie to escape a tyrannical planet. Waititi would also grace the screen for this film. Well, kinda. He voiced the CGI character Korg, a rock monster who befriends Thor and follows him on his adventure.
Marvel Studios choosing Taika for a Thor movie wasn’t a huge gamble. They’d previously hired him to direct short films for the Team Thor series. The shorts were intended to be a comedic sidestory to answer the question of what Thor was doing between movies. Waititi’s direction and mastery of comedy was enough to convince the studio that he should be directing a Thor movie instead of a skit.
It was a smart choice for Marvel. Thor: Ragnarok was a major improvement from the past two Thor movies. It garnered heavier critical praise and a bigger box office take upon release in theaters, raking in $865 million on a budget of $180 million. The success ensured Waititi would be an easy choice to direct the 2022 sequel Thor: Love and Thunder. It should also be noted that Waititi would reprise the role of Korg for other Marvel productions. This included Avengers: Endgame, Marvel’s What If, and Thor: Love and Thunder.
There was also the short promotional film, Deadpool and Korg React, where Waititi plays well off Ryan Reynolds in this trailer reaction. The film they’re reacting to is Free Guy, where both Reynolds and Waititi would appear together. It’s enough to make one long for a Deadpool & Korg movie.
Accolades And Star Wars
With Taika becoming iconic in the eyes of Marvel fandom, he used that popularity for more than Thor movies. His next big film after Thor: Ragnarok was Jojo Rabbit. The historical satire told the tale of a kid growing up in Nazi Germany, who learns to reject Hitler’s influence. The film is most notable for Waititi taking on the role of an imaginary Adolf Hitler, conjured in the mind of the young hero.
Its biting comedy was enough to get Taika back into the good graces of the Oscars. Jojo Rabbit was not only nominated for Best Picture, but would win the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was looking as though Waititi had it all. He could become a triple threat with his movies.
Waititi’s directing skills didn’t go unnoticed by Disney. This allowed him not only to play in the Marvel sandbox, but with another Disney property. When Disney announced they were developing Star Wars TV shows, Waititi got in on the ground floor. The Mandalorian was a Star Wars spin-off show that followed the adventures of a bounty hunter. Waititi directed the season finale. But, of course, Waititi couldn’t be kept entirely behind the camera. He provided the voice of the bounty hunter android IG-11. He just seems to keep playing fantastical characters that exist in CGI. But if you thought Waititi was going to be strictly doing voice overs in big productions, you’d be wrong.
More Acting Roles
With Taika having become a notable name by the 2020s, he started taking on more acting roles. And, no, these weren’t in films he directed. In 2021’s The Suicide Squad, Waititi plays a sympathetic villain, Ratcatcher. It wasn’t a big role and apparently one, he accepted at the last minute. It’s perhaps one of Waititi’s more understated performances. Well, at least when compared to his next role.
For the 2021 video game comedy Free Guy, Taika played CEO Antwan Hovachelik. This was an eccentric villain role where Waititi played up the narcissism. Unlike previous roles where Taika felt somewhat awkward and quirky, he threw himself into this role. It’s not often that you get to see him as an intimidating force that dances around an office.
Taika’s eccentric nature would carry into his TV projects. He would appear as Blackbeard in the pirate comedy series, Our Flag Means Death. With its off-beat comedy and developing romances, this was a show built for Waititi. But he did way more than act in this comedy. He would serve as executive producer and direct the first episode. Taika worked well with the amazing comedic cast, including fellow New Zealand actor Rhys Darby. Great kiwis think alike.
But Waititi was also willing to collaborate on shows where he didn’t act. He co-created the Native American comedy series Reservation Dogs. Waititi served as an executive producer and writer but backed away from the camera. This is because the cast was mostly indigenous North Americans. It was no big loss for Taika not to star. His plate was full and there were plenty more projects coming down the pike.
Smaller Roles, Bigger Projects
Waititi continues to act and direct in bigger projects. He’s become so used to being a voice at Disney that he’ll likely take on more roles. This led to him providing a supporting voice for Pixar’s Lightyear. He also still makes cameos on TV shows. Sometimes he’s playing up a character like Sigmund Freud in Mel Brooks’s History of the World, Part II. Sometimes he’s just playing himself like when he cameoed on The Simpsons.
Waititi still directs, but with films you wouldn’t expect. In 2023, he directed and co-wrote the sports dramedy, Next Goal Wins. The football film is based on the true story of the American Samoa national football team. While mostly featuring a Samoa cast, the film also had some bigger names attached. Michael Fassbender. Will Arnett. Elisabeth Moss. Of course, Waititi couldn’t help himself and jumped into the frame. He played an American-Samoan priest that opens the film with narration. More or less pitching his film to the audience and showcases a softer side to him, it was a fitting role for Taika.
What’s Next For Waititi?
Waititi is remarkable because he’s dabbled in a little bit of everything. From Marvel and DC to Star Wars and Pixar. He jumped straight from directing a satire of Nazi Germany to a thrilling Star Wars TV show. Even his current projects reflect an unpredictable, versatile nature.
The TV shows he’s directing right now include fantasy adventure series Time Bandits and the Asian period drama Interior Chinatown. He’s also directing dystopian sci-fi film Klara and the Sun, based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro and a live-action adaptation of the anime film Akira. But that remains to be seen. Akira has been in production hell for so long it’s doubtful it’ll ever be made. That said, James Cameron was eventually able to produce his Battle Angel Alita movie. So never say never!
This seems to be the same mindset as Waititi. He never seems trapped in a specific genre or franchise be it acting or directing. Just when you think he’ll be playing an alien for Marvel, he ends up playing a master of rats for DC. He made a name for himself by directing a Thor movie, but still directs an Academy-Award-winning comedy film JoJo Rabbit. He also seems to be a strong producer of films for marginalized voices. His projects have celebrated the cultures of Native Americans, Samoas, even the LGBTQ community.
There’s no telling what he’ll work on next. That’s what makes Taika Waititi so unpredictable. What are your thoughts on Taika Waititi? Do you like him more as a director or actor? Let’s talk in the comments below.
