Taika Waititi Takes On The Marvel, Star Wars And Dc Universes
Esquire Singapore|December 2019
Following the US$854 million success of Thor: Ragnarok, which he imbued with the boy-in-a-sandbox energy of his irreverent indie films, Kiwi actor and director Taika Waititi takes on the Marvel, Star Wars and DC universes. But first, Jojo Rabbit, a World War II ‘anti-hate satire’ in which he plays a German kid’s imaginary friend: Hitler. (Yeah, that one.)
Kevin Sintumuang
Taika Waititi Takes On The Marvel, Star Wars And Dc Universes

“ TAIKAAAA . TAIKAAAA,” She whispers. In a Mediterranean-style house, built into the side of a hill in the Los Feliz neighbourhood of Los Angeles, not too far away from Walt Disney’s first home, Taika Waititi’s assistant is trying to coax him out of his bedroom. She thinks he’s asleep. And the complex Swiss coffee machine seems to be on the fritz. So while I wait, I try to fix it.

I’m about to implement the unplug-it-and-plug-it-back-in method when I feel something ping my back. I see a small object go skittering across the floor. A bottle cap? I turn and there is Waititi, wearing a tropical-print shirt and stylish drawstring pants and, while in a ninja-like pose, holding a large, capless bottle of Perrier. He has the boyish energy of a walking GIF.

“I’ve been standing here for five minutes watching you, bro,” the 44-year-old director/actor/producer says. Then he gives me a hug. When in playful mode, he speaks with the countryKiwi accent of Korg, the charming rock beast he played in Thor: Ragnarok (which he also directed), whom he based on the sweet, enormous Polynesian bouncers he would encounter outside clubs in his hometown of Wellington, New Zealand. The rest of the time, he speaks with a charming, soothing New Zealand accent featuring just a touch of thespian gravitas—a perfect delivery system for dry humour.

He moves a pink blazer from the back of a kitchen chair so I can sit and begins eating his very Californian breakfast—eggs and avocado toast with a side of bacon.

Trying to make conversation, I ask him about a sculpture in the kitchen. He gives me the shrug emoji. “I don’t know what any of this stuff is, bro! It’s not my house!”

Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Esquire Singapore.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Esquire Singapore.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ESQUIRE SINGAPORESe alt
THE MILD HANGOVER
Esquire Singapore

THE MILD HANGOVER

Hangovers get a bad rap. We know. If you’ve gotten this far in the magazine, you’ve surely divined that we’re mildly hungover most of the time.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2022
AN ELECTRIC FUTURE
Esquire Singapore

AN ELECTRIC FUTURE

Polestar, the minimalist electric Swedish car brand, turns the voltage up on its competition.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2022
LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON
Esquire Singapore

LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON

Royalty, shopping, the best tea and scones the world has to offer, and a lifestyle worthy of what you're working for. Here's why London is ripe for your next investment

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2022
NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA
Esquire Singapore

NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA

As Co-founder of the events and talent agency Collective Minds and Managing Director of the Mandala Masters, Zaran Vachha is definitely not new to the culture scene, but he's certainly shaping what comes next.

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2022
WHAT I'VE LEARNED...
Esquire Singapore

WHAT I'VE LEARNED...

I DON’T WEAR SOCKS except in January.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2022
The Body Is a Language
Esquire Singapore

The Body Is a Language

A bad handshake is such a turnoff; we feel irked when someone rolls their eyes at us; we can't stop pacing when we're nervous-ever wondered how certain body language has the power to change how we feel instantly? We explore why.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2022
EYE OF THE TIGER
Esquire Singapore

EYE OF THE TIGER

Hailing from Singapore, Japan and Brazil respectively, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes Darren Goh, Hiroki Akimoto and Alex Silva are proof that the ring demands as much from mind as it does from matter.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2022
THE ADONIS COMPLEX
Esquire Singapore

THE ADONIS COMPLEX

With the rise of superhero culture making a return and bringing with it the celebration of the classically ‘masculine’ body type, can men really overcome the pressure to conform when culture keeps getting in the way?

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2022
FUNNY BUT TRUE
Esquire Singapore

FUNNY BUT TRUE

A comedian, an iconic Singaporean, and now a man much evolved. After overcoming two years of pandemic limbo, unlocking career milestones one after another and undergoing a life-defining physical transformation, Rishi Budhrani is ready to emerge into the world renewed-and anew.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2022
LIKE NO OTHER
Esquire Singapore

LIKE NO OTHER

With its horological triumphs, Hermès has truly come into its own as a watchmaking maison. In this exclusive interview with Esquire Singapore, CEO of Hermès Horloger, Laurent Dordet sheds some light on his timepieces' rising stardom and the importance of being different.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2022