Taika Waititiknows his2020 Oscarsacceptance speech was unique, but just like his winning script forJojo Rabbit, he delivered it exactly how it was intended.
After taking the stage to accept his first Oscar on Sunday night inthe Best Adapted Screenplay categoryfor his work on the dark comedy, Waititi joked to reporters in the press room that his speech was “the worst” because he didn’t thank anyone for helping him on the project.
However, “You don’t want to go up there and actually say lots of people’s names. That seems like a waste of time,” he said. “I’ve said to people before I came here, ‘If I have to go up, I’m not going [to] thank you. Because why should I? I did all the typing. No one else did it. Andall the words came from my head.'”
“So, bottom line, I’m not going to thank my lawyer for that. I love him. He’s done great stuff for me — he got me a bloody good deal onThor: Love and Thunder, but he didn’t type anything onJojo Rabbit,” Waititi, 44, explained. “So, you know, as far as acceptance speeches go, I think mine was probably the most truthful speech that anyone’s ever given. I think we can all agree on that.”
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Taika Waititi.Michael Buckner/Shutterstock
Larry Horricks/Twentieth Century Fox
Taika Waititi.Steve Granitz/WireImage
Waititi beat out fellow nominees Steven Zaillian forThe Irishman, Anthony McCarten forThe Two Popes,Greta GerwigforLittle WomenandTodd Phillipsand Scott Silver forJokerto win the trophy.
“This is really light. This one’s light. It’s supposed to be heavy,” he joked while accepting the award before giving a sweet shout-out to his mother, thanking her for giving him the inspiration to make the film.
“I don’t know where you are, Mom, I lost you, hours ago,” Waititi quipped. “Thank you for being my mother and … for giving me the book that I adapted [Christine Leunens’ 2004 novelCaging Skies]. This film wouldn’t have existed without you doing that.”
Taika Waititi at the 2020 Oscars.Kevin Winter/Getty
Waititi, who is known for directing Thor: Ragnarok andWhat We Do in the Shadows, was nominated in 2005 for Best Live Action Short Film. This year,Jojo Rabbitwas also nominated for Best Picture.
The movie’s cast includesScarlett Johansson, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie,Sam Rockwell,Alfie AllenandRebel Wilson,and is based on Christine Leunens’ 2004 novelCaging Skies.
The story centers on Jojo, a lonely German boy who aspires to be a Nazi soldier and discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home in the midst of World War II.
The moviereceived six Oscar nominations total, also including Costume Design, Production Design, Film Editing and a Best Supporting Actress nod for Johansson. The 35-year-old actress was additionally nominated in the Best Actress category for her role inMarriage Story.
source: people.com
