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" My favourite kind of comedy comes from the awkwardness of living, the stuff that makes you cringe but borders on tragic - that is more interesting to me. It resonates; it comes from emotional truth. "

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" I think I'm a better filmmaker than actor, so I already know that. That's OK. I can handle not being a famous actor. "

Taika Waititi

Than

Know

Famous

" Within the family unit, you have people you grew up with who are supposed to be your brother, father, or your mother who are almost like strangers and acquaintances. "

" I'm not interested in doing work that doesn't captivate me. "

" I really didn't want to be boxed into becoming a certain kind of film-maker - becoming the Maori story film-maker because I had made those short films. "

" A lot of people are trying to get out of their home country and think 'making it' is if you're able to work in another. For me... I'd be quite content to keep doing my own little films down there for the rest of my filmmaking career. "

" You have to write what you know. "

" We all have to remember that New Zealand is built on these kind of people who are rebels and renegades, people doing it their own way, fighting for freedom, and braving the elements. I think it's cool to celebrate that. "

" In a lot of my films, the biggest theme is family, making families out of those around you. "

" When I play characters, I like playing people who just comment on stuff, stand around and talk. "

" I don't think there's much tolerance for people who are a little different or withdrawn or quiet.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. "

" One of my favourite books when I was young was 'Wuthering Heights.' "

" Unfortunately, there aren't enough interesting acting roles in New Zealand to sustain a career. "

" 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. "

" There's nothing cooler than going to work and hanging around with your friends and laughing, because it's something that you get told off for throughout your entire time at school... it's just like a big 'in your face' to those bully teachers that you had when you were a kid. "

" You have to let go of the control and allow things to develop. You need to have a flexible attitude, especially working with kids. "

" We've got a thing called the 'tall puppy 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.' "

" Most of my films - if you look at the tone, apart from 'Shadows,' which is straight-up comedy - the tone is a mix between comedy and pathos, and I really love that. "

" I play music all the time because silence freaks me out. "

" Visually, I'm always considering shots and composition quite a lot, and I love putting art into films, and I do a lot of the art. "

" Characters I create are just mixtures of the people I know. "

" The family unit is very interesting because these are people that you're supposed to be the closest to in your life, and yet that's where you find the greatest distances between people as well - especially between parents and kids. "

" The stuff I'm passionate about is what I write; it isn't multi-million-dollar franchise movies. "

" New Zealand was kind of getting a reputation for making middle-of-the-road films that weren't really that unique. They were kind of New Zealand versions of overseas films, and for sure, having an Oscar nomination totally helped me get funding. "

Taika Waititi

Reputation

Sure

" That's what attracts me to the kind of characters I try and write - that they're not cut and dried. "

" I don't like laughing at people unless they're in a privileged position or if they're in authority. If it's poor people or people who live on the outskirts or on the margins, or the underdog, I'd rather be laughing with them. "

" A set should be like a family, except that you all actually like each other. "

" I come from a big extended family, so it's very normal to be around babies for us, but when it's your own, it's a very different experience for us. "

Taika Waititi

Big

Own

" I don't mind going from sadness to comedy in a split-second or mixing the two up. "

" Most people in their lives do feel like they are outsiders at some point. "

" 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. "