A biography for Taika Waititihasn’t been written yet.
“Kids are always very savvy. It doesn't take long for a kid to realize when an adult is a loser.”
“I think... part of life skills is also socialising... I think many people make the mistake of not going out... You can spend a little bit too much time with your nose in your book or with your fingers on a keyboard, and you miss out.”
“I love films that make you feel something but also deliver that payload behind jokes.”
“People overcoming the odds is actually a really important part of humanity, and I don't think we kind of get to celebrate that as much as we should.”
“You can have integrity with your art, but worrying about integrity doesn't pay the bills.”
“I love living in New Zealand.”
“Most people in their lives do feel like they are outsiders at some point.”
“I don't think there's much tolerance for people who are a little different or withdrawn or quiet. They always seem to be the ones who stick out the most, the ones who want to just shy away and withdraw.”
“Actors are terrible at overthinking things before they turn up to work, and they decide on a way they're going to do it, and then it's hard to break them out of it.”
“Music - it's motivational and just makes you relax.”
“We've got a thing called the 'tall poppy syndrome' in New Zealand, where if anyone is doing really well, it's quite common to try and bring them down - like, cut them down and say, 'You've been to the moon? So what? I mean, plenty of people have been to the moon.'”
“I come from a country whose idea of masculinity is quite extreme, and I've grown up around a lot of that energy. I've been part of that a lot. And it's very draining; it's quite tiring trying to be macho.”
“When you're on set, you're like, 'Everyone's judging me because I'm the director, and everyone thinks I'm doing this because I just love myself and I want to do everything.' Part of it's true: I do want to do everything, and I do kind of love myself.”
“There are 100,000 versions of Jeff Goldblum.”
“I've always said that, first and foremost, I make films for New Zealanders. They're my target audience. Then after that, if people appreciate my stories from outside this country, then that's an added bonus.”
“My job is to express myself.”
“I'm not very proud of coming from a place that everyone thinks is this pure green country whereas, in reality, all our lakes and waterways are poison.”
“One of my favourite books when I was young was 'Wuthering Heights.'”
“I was depressed about the roles that were on offer, so I had to make my own stories.”
“My style of working is I'll often be behind the camera, or right next to the camera yelling words at people, like, 'Say this, say this! Say it this way!' I'll straight-up give Anthony Hopkins a line reading. I don't care.”