Taika Waititi: ‘I don’t know if I should feel insulted over Hitler role’
New Zealander who wrote and directed Jojo Rabbit said he had mixed feelings about people saying he was a good fit to play the Nazi dictator
Taika Waititi says he has mixed feelings about people calling him a good fit to play Adolf Hitler in Jojo Rabbit.
The New Zealander also wrote and directed the film, which picked up the Bafta for best adapted screenplay.
After winning the award, he said he did not know how to react to praise for his portrayal of the Nazi leader, adding: “I don’t know if I should feel insulted.”
He joked that they “obviously share similarities”, but added: “I think I’m a lot better looking than him.”
Waititi, whose mother is Jewish and who often goes by her last name, Cohen, added that before the film was made it was difficult to pitch to people because of the subject matter.
The Nazi satire follows a 10-year-old member of the Hitler Youth, whose imaginary friend is Hitler.
The little boy is horrified when he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic.
At the awards ceremony he said he could “feel the atmosphere leaving the room” after he pitched the idea by saying: “Picture this, there’s a little boy in the Hitler Youth …”
He said this drove him to “write the best screenplay I could and let that be the pitch”.
After receiving his award, Waititi prompted laughter from the audience by saying: “This is very cool for me, coming from the Colonies.
“I know it’s been a hard week for you guys, it’s been nice to take a little bit of your gold back home, where it belongs.
“This is a really incredible night for me, sharing it with the people who made the film with me.”
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