Taika Waititihas had the kind of explosive success as a filmmaker that most can only dream of. After delivering the box-office smashThor: Ragnarok, Waititi won an Oscar this year for the screenplay ofJojo Rabbit. But for the 44-year old Maori man, receiving an Office of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to film is the biggest recognition, as he explained in an interview.
“Personally Imake my stuff for New Zealandersfirst and foremost. They are my first audience. My peers and colleagues, to be recognized by them, people who are closer to my home, is more significant.”
Waititi joins a distinguished list of New Zeland natives honored on New Zealand’s Queen’s birthday list, with the 178 awardees hailing from a variety ofbackgrounds in sports, business, activism, and entertainment.
Starting his career with brief acting jobs in the New Zealand entertainment industry, Waititi found his artistic voice behind the camera, starting with making short comical films for various contests. The filmmaker’s first brush with success came with an Oscar nomination for his 2005 film,Two Cars, One Night.
He then went on to both direct and feature in more indie fare, includingFlight of the Concords, andBoy, which received great critical acclaim at various film festivals and increased Waititi’s profile as a filmmaker who managed to combine his uniquely kiwi sense of humor with a heartfelt sense of pathos and an unerring instinct for the important smaller moments in larger narratives.
It was withThor: Ragnarok, a gamble for both Waititi and the MCU, that the filmmaker went fromone of Hollywood’s promising new directorsto a bonafide star director with a global box office smash on his hands. Instead of immediately signing up to direct a bunch of major blockbusters, Waititi returned to his indie roots to write, direct and star in the quirky nazi-era comedyJojo Rabbitwith Scarlett Johansson.
The film was a critical and commercial success and further established that Waititi is here to stay in Hollywood, even if his heart belongs to New Zealand. Work has already begun on the filmmaker’s next foray in the MCU, withThor: Love and Thunder. After that, Waititi will behelming a Star Wars film, in addition to making two animated features for Netflix based onCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Despite his busy schedule, Waititi has been keeping busy during the lockdown narrating children’s classics written by fame author Roald Dahl along with a distinguished list of celebrities. He has also hosted a digital watch part forThor: Ragnarok, during which he trolled fans with a fake script forThor: Love and Thunderfeaturing the return of Tony Stark, and promising that the movie will be even more over-the-top bonkers and unexpected thanRagnarokwas.
With his latest Medal of Honor, Waititi seems to have the support of both Hollywood and his home country as he continues on his fascinating professional journey filled with dim-witted vampires, space Vikings, and nazi imaginary friends. And what a journey it has been. This news first appeared atRNZ.
