Taika Waititi trivia: 37 facts about the director

Taika Waititi is a New Zealand filmmaker who gained worldwide recognition through directing Thor: Ragnarok.

So let’s find out some trivia and facts about his life and career thus far.

1. His full name is Taika David Waititi
2. He was born on August 16, 1975
3. He is also known as Taika Cohen
4. He is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian
5. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2004 short film Two Cars, One Night
6. He is married to Chelsea Winstanley
7. She has also produced several of his films
8. His feature films Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) have each been the top-grossing New Zealand film
9. With the latter still holding that title as of January 2020
10. He co-directed and starred in the horror comedy film What We Do in the Shadows (2014) with Jemaine Clement
11. Waititi’s most recent directing credits include the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the satirical black comedy Jojo Rabbit (2019)
12. The latter of which he also wrote and starred in
13. His work in Jojo Rabbit earned critical praise
14. Receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay
15. Waititi was born in Raukokore of the East Coast region of New Zealand’s North Island
16. He grew up in both the East Coast and the Aro Valley of Wellington
17. His father was a Māori farmer and artist of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
18. While his mother is a schoolteacher of European descent
19. Waititi’s maternal grandfather is of Russian Jewish heritage
20. His maternal grandmother is of Irish heritage
21. Waititi has used his mother’s surname, “Cohen”, for some of his work in film and writing
22. He describes himself as a “Polynesian Jew”
23. Waititi’s parents split up when he was around five
24. He was raised primarily by his mother
25. He attended Onslow College for secondary school
26. He studied theatre at Victoria University of Wellington
27. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1997
28. Waititi is reportedly set to direct a new live-action film version of Akira
29. As well as co-write a sequel to What We Do in the Shadows, titled We’re Wolves
30. In July 2019, it was reported that Waititi will write and direct Thor: Love and Thunder, a sequel to Ragnarok
31. Thus causing Akira to be delayed indefinitely
32. Waititi is also set to direct a feature film adaptation of Next Goal Wins
33. He will co-write the script with Iain Morris
34. While Garrett Basch, Jonathan Cavendish, Andy Serkis, Mike Brett and Steve Jamison will serve as producers
35. In May 2012, Waititi’s wife, Chelsea Winstanley, of Māori descent, gave birth to their first daughter
36. Their second daughter was born in August 2015
37. In the run-up to the 2017 New Zealand general election, Waititi announced his support for Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Party