Taika Waititi is having quite the week, and honestly? GOOD. Fresh off his Academy Award win for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, Waititi spent his time in the press room bringing up important issues—some funny, and some incredibly poignant and serious. So … much like what you’d expect out of Waititi (and much like Jojo Rabbit itself).
Before we get into his serious statements in the press room, Taika did have a fun message for those writers out there and what they should be asking for:
Shout out to @TaikaWaititi for using his post-win interview to bag on those garbage Apple keyboards. He continues to be a hero of the people. pic.twitter.com/nVaAtLpNoN
— Anthony Carboni (@acarboni) February 10, 2020
But, definitely, more importantly, Waititi talked about the rise of Nazism in the 21st century and how that, ultimately, led to him making Jojo Rabbit in the first place.
#JoJoRabbit director Taika Waititi says he doesn’t understand why Nazis are allowed to hold rallies these days when they used to be thrown in jail #Oscars https://t.co/tU5RoHIcJU pic.twitter.com/7fHAVjazIO
— Variety (@Variety) February 10, 2020
Saying,
“Us making the film was in response to a resurgence of hate and intolerance and hate speech. And here’s the thing: At the end of [World Ward II] there was a very clear rule, if you were a Nazi, you went to jail. Now the rules have changed a bit. If you’re a Nazi, feel free to have a rally down in the town square and you can invite all your mates. So something’s changed and something’s not right. And we have forgotten the rules, I guess, so I feel like this is the perfect time for a film like this. I feel like the film has become more important and more relevant today. Which is a sad thing, but also good for me.”
It’s sad but so incredibly true. The idea of “free speech” has led to, as Waititi puts it, those who subscribe to Nazi ideology feeling as if they can take to the town square to share their views without any repercussions. But Taika Waititi wants us all to know that like at the end of World War II, Nazis should be in jail.
This week also came with the knowledge that there is no rest for Waititi, as he went from winning an Oscar for his work on Jojo Rabbit and is straight back to working on Thor: Love and Thunder and this time, with writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson helping with the script.
Maybe that’s my favorite thing about Taika Waititi: He is constantly giving us new content to praise and is always interacting with fans and making social commentary that is perfect and timely. Taika Waititi deserves everything he’s been given and so much more and I can’t wait to see what comes next for my, personal, favorite director and screenwriter.
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