- Title: Taika Waititi says 'spread the word' about 'relevant' "Jojo Rabbit"
- Date: 5th October 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 5, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ACTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, TAIKA WAITITI POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE RED CARPET OF "JOJO RABBIT" IN LONDON'S LEICESTER SQUARE AT BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHERS WAITITI POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS, SPREAD AGAINST BOARD ACTOR WHO PLAYS 'JOJO', ROMAN GRIFFIN DAVIS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS ACTION ON THE RED CARPET, WITH ACTOR ARCHIE YATES WHO PLAYS 'YORKIE' SPEAKING TO REPORTERS YATES SPEAKING TO REPORTERS GRIFFIN DAVIS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH HIS TWIN BROTHERS EITHER SIDE OF HIM WAITITI WALKING OVER TO SPEAK TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, TAIKA WAITITI, ON WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT WINNING TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL'S GROLSCH PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD (SELECTED BY AUDIENCE VOTES) ALSO BEING AN INDICATOR FOR BEST PICTURE AWARD AT THE OSCARS, SAYING: "As a filmmakers that's really your first concern is; will people want to watch this, and will people enjoy it, will they take something away from it, especially with a film like this. Your only hope really is that people will like it enough to spread the word and say, this is an important film. This has got an important message. It's a relevant film right now in terms of what is happening, not only America but all around the world with the rise of hate groups and you know, these trends towards prejudice and intolerance. So my hope is that people will go in and feel either changed, or motivated to make some change." GRIFFIN DAVIS SPEAKING TO REPORTER ACTOR ALFIE ALLEN WHO PLAYS NAZI 'FINKEL' SPEAKING TO REPORTER, WITH WAITITI NEXT TO HIM ACTOR THOMASIN MCKENZIE POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS, THEN WALKING OVER TO REPORTERS GRIFFIN DAVIS AND YATES, WHO PLAY BEST FRIENDS IN THE FILM WHO ARE IN HITLER YOUTH, GREETING EACH OTHER, COMPLIMENTING THEIR OUTFITS, AND YATES DOING A BREAK DANCE WHILE GRIFFIN DAVIS PRETENDS TO THROW MONEY AT HIM (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, ARCHIE YATES, ON WHETHER IT IS FUN BEING AROUND WAITITI, SAYING: "More fun I'd say. He's an absolute manchild, I'll say that right there!" WAITITI SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, TAIKA WAITITI, ON WHETHER HE HAD AN IMAGINARY FRIEND WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, LIKE JOJO'S HITLER, SAYING: "I didn't. If I had an imaginary friend though, it would be just another version of me. I feel like I'm the only one that understands me." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, ALFIE ALLEN, ON WHETHER HE HAD AN IMAGINARY FRIEND WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, LIKE JOJO'S HITLER, SAYING: "I had a toy dog called 'Black Jack White'. That was my favourite, my favourite friend (laughs)." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, THOMASIN MCKENZIE, ON WHETHER HE HAD AN IMAGINARY FRIEND WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, LIKE JOJO'S HITLER, SAYING: "I had an imaginary friend called 'Mr. Monroe' that I got from a children's book that I can't remember the name of right now, but he was like a little hairy, furball kind of creature." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, ROMAN GRIFFIN DAVIS, ON WHETHER HE HAD AN IMAGINARY FRIEND WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, LIKE JOJO'S HITLER, SAYING: "Anakin Skywalker was like my, was kind of like my brother in a way and Darth Vader was my uncle, yeah I know, I like Lego Star Wars, but it's a bit different from Adolf Hitler." MCKENZIE SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, THOMASIN MCKENZIE, ON HOW HER CHARACTER HELPS JOJO DEAL WITH HIS CHILDHOOD INSECURITIES, SAYING: "And yeah, it's also a reminder that no one is born a racist. That is something that is taught and that is something that we need to fight against." WAITITI SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, ALFIE ALLEN, ON PEOPLE WHO TAKE ISSUE WITH A SATIRE ABOUT NAZIS AND FAR RIGHT, SAYING: "I think people who might be annoyed by this film should go, go and watch it because it might intensify your fight even further, to go and fight the good fight or whichever fight you want to do, you know, it's a... I just think it's a beautiful movie." ELECTRIC SCREEN ON SIDE OF ODEON CINEMA/ RED CARPET ACTION, WITH MCKENZIE BEING INTERVIEWED MCKENZIE SPEAKING TO REPORTER WAITITI RUNNING UP AND THROUGH BARRIERS TO GREET THE CROWD BEYOND AND HAVE SELFIES TAKEN
- Embargoed: 19th October 2019 21:38
- Keywords: Jojo Rabbit London Film Festival director Taika Waititi Roman Griffin Davis Alfie Allen Thomasin McKenzie Archie Yates
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM/ VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM/ VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA002AZTKSWD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Taika Waititi is far more concerned with people spreading the word about how "relevant" "Jojo Rabbit" is, rather than getting an Oscar.
The New Zealand filmmaker's satire on Hitler's Nazi Germany won the Toronto Film Festival's Grolsch People's Choice Award on September 15.
Selected by audience votes, in the past 20 years, the winner of the award has gone on to win the Academy Award for best picture five times: "Green Book" last year, "12 Years a Slave," "The King's Speech," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "American Beauty".
"Jojo Rabbit" is a satirical tale about a young boy called Jojo in Nazi Germany who wants to fit in with the Hitler Youth but eventually grows disillusioned by genocidal fascism.
Waititi said his main concern was not only "will people want to watch this" and enjoy it, but also "like it enough to spread the word" and say what an important film it is.
"It's a relevant film right now in terms of what is happening, not only America but all around the world with the rise of hate groups and these trends towards prejudice and intolerance," he told Reuters on Saturday evening (October 5) at the film's European premiere.
"So my hope is that people will go in and feel either changed, or motivated to make some change."
Waititi who has written, produced and directed "Jojo Rabbit" also stars as Adolf Hitler in it, lead character Jojo's imaginary friend.
Did Waititi ever have a make-believe companion when he was younger?
"I didn't. If I had an imaginary friend though, it would be just another version of me. I feel like I'm the only one that understands me," he joked.
Joining Waititi on the carpet were his young Brit co-stars, Roman Griffin Davis who makes his feature debut as Jojo, and Archie Yates who plays Jojo's best friend Yorkie. Both boys greeted each other on the carpet - with Yates doing an impromptu break dance.
So, is Waititi as fun to work with as he looks?
"More fun I'd say," said Yates. "He's an absolute manchild, I'll say that right there!"
Also starring Scarlett Johannson, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen and Thomasin McKenzie the film deals with Jojo's coming-of-age insecurities, including racism - the latter "no one is born" but learns, McKenzie told Reuters. Her character is a Jewish girl found hiding in Jojo's attic who eventually befriends and helps teach the young Nazi the error of his ways.
However, is a satire on Hitler and Nazi Germany during the end of World War Two going to be to everyone's liking?
"I think people who might be annoyed by this film should go and watch it because it might intensify your fight even further," said Allen.
"To go and fight the good fight or whichever fight you want...I just think it's a beautiful movie."
"Jojo Rabbit" is on general release October 18 in the States, and January 3, 2020 in the UK.
(Production: Graham Kelly and Lisa Giles-Keddie) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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