Taika Waititi Knows He’ll Be ‘Obsolete’ in Decades: ‘No One Remembers’ Who Directed ‘Casablanca’
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Taika Waititi isn’t trying to build a legacy despite already having one.
The “Next Goal Wins” writer-director reflected on his career in a Hollywood Reporter cover story, pointing out that even Michael Curtiz, the filmmaker behind “Casablanca,” has been forgotten by many more than a half-century after helming one of the greatest films of all time. To Waititi, nothing is forever.
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“I’m 47. My God, take the pressure off,” Waititi said. “People are so obsessed with likes or leaving behind a legacy, being remembered. Here’s the thing: No one’s going to remember us. What’s the name of the director of ‘Casablanca’? Arguably one of the greatest films of all time. No one knows his name. How the fuck do I expect to be remembered? So who cares?”
Waititi won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar in 2020 for “Jojo Rabbit” and is tapped to direct a “Star Wars” installment set for December 2025. Searchlight releases soccer drama “Next Goal Wins” after several delays this November.
He added, “Let’s just live, make some movies. They’ll be obsolete and irrelevant in 15 or 20 years. And so will I, and then I’ll die and someone else can do it. This whole idea of chasing, chasing, chasing this life. It’s like, do we have to actually work this hard? Maybe not.”
Waititi admitted that early in his career he was convinced that all of his ideas were worthy of being greenlit, citing a kind of self-importance. However, that approach served him well in Hollywood.
“I think it’s narcissism, like I was convinced my entire life that all my ideas were great,” the “Thor: Love and Thunder” director said. “I now know they’re not. It was like ‘The Truman Show.’ I used to think everything was put in front of me for my own amusement. And I would be like, ‘Wow, I get to be me, and everyone’s just doing stuff for me.’ And then also that everyone is an idiot, which I still think.”
Waititi continued, “I’m like, ‘I’m surrounded by morons. And eventually, they’ll see I’m right.’ It’s a pretty asshole-y thing to say, but it has helped me stick to my guns. With filmmaking, there’s no real trick other than making decisions fast and with confidence. If you asked any director, 85 percent of the time, you have no idea what you’re doing, and you’re just hoping that they don’t find out.”
Waititi previously told IndieWire’s Eric Kohn in 2022 that he was grappling with hitting middle age. “Sometimes I feel like maybe I was too busy to notice I was having [a midlife crisis]. Or maybe I’m right in the middle of one,” Waititi said. “I feel like I’m so busy that I have to schedule one. I’ll schedule a time to go buy a Porsche and do all the things I’ve always wanted to do. I’ll get that done so I can go make another movie.”
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