A Night with Taika Waititi, Director of the Highest Grossing Film in New Zealand’s History, Boy

Published on Feb 8th, 2012
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Written by Kieran Newton
KieranNewton@TheCinemaSource.com

After the screening of his new film Boy, which has been making some sizable waves, writer/director/producer/star of the film Taika Waititi joined the audience for a quick Q&A session about the film.

The movie came from a short that he wrote in 2005 that just kept growing until it became a feature. He wanted to write something that was “neglected kids mixed with comedy,” a sentiment that elicited a few chuckles. He didn’t have to look far—Waititi claims that the film is mostly autobiographical, from several of the events in the film to the actual locales where they shot, all of which were in his hometown of Waihau Bay on the northern island of New Zealand. The house that the titular character’s family resides in was Waititi‘s childhood home.

The cast is also comprised entirely of locals, Waititi citing outsiders’ inability to “get the accent right” as his humorous reasoning for this, but in all seriousness, it makes perfect sense for the film, and the extra attention to detail is apparent. The characters feel real because, well, for so much of the cast, it was barely even acting. Waititi jokingly speaks of his fear that he may have corrupted James Rolleston, who plays Boy, who incidentally was cast three days before shooting began. A few days in, Rolleston called cut on one of the classroom scenes and, according to Waititi, said, “I don’t know what it is, but is there a thing in acting where it doesn’t feel real? I just don’t think my character would say that.” And this was two days into shooting. “I’m afraid I’ve created a monster,” Waititi jokes.

The conversation turned to the overwhelming success of the film—the highest-grossing film in New Zealand’s history, Boy stands apart because of its purported comedic nature. “Most New Zealand films are really dark,” Waititi says, claiming that he believes the film is a hit because “it gives us an opportunity to laugh at ourselves.”

Waititi also has a few projects in the works, the first of which is a nigh-unimaginable comedy about World War II, set in Europe. He’s also working on an American remake of the classic British show In Betweeners. The project I’m most excited for, though, is the vampire film that he’s just finished writing with Jemaine Clement, one of the comedic masterminds behind Flight of the Conchords. One can only imagine the possibilities.

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