Quotes from Taika Waititi

It was never really my plan to become a filmmaker.

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.

I come from a country whose idea of masculinity is quite extreme, and I've grown up around a lot of that energy. I've been part of that a lot. And it's very draining; it's quite tiring trying to be macho.

I think something that every actor wants, whether they've done four movies or forty movies, is they want to find the work interesting. You want to come to work and think this is going to be a challenge.

With some actors, you can tell, just from their different backgrounds and their different approaches to working, they would have just a natural conflict, just a sort of friction.

I'm always fascinated by the theme of children who parent the adults.

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.

I don't think there's much tolerance for people who are a little different or withdrawn or quiet.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

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.

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

Shooting a movie should be fun! It's not a real job. It can be hard, but at the end of the day, we're dressing up and playing pretend.

In my films, a lot of the situations come from real life.

You realise that there's nothing more endearing than people who are desperately trying to be liked or trying to be the hero, you know? Who also probably just need a hug or want to impress their dad?

A feature film is an expansion of budget, stress, story, hours, time, workload, everything.

Kids are always very savvy. It doesn't take long for a kid to realize when an adult is a loser.

The ridiculous events in everyday life are often overlooked - people don't recognise it as potentially cinematic.

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.

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.

I think our first heroes with whom we discover flaws are our parents.

I love heroes that really go through ordeals, and they come out the other end completely changed.

'Eagle vs Shark' was about keeping myself sane. I wanted to go back to my comedy roots with people I trusted and had worked with before and do something low-budget and more experimental.

Anyone who has a parent can relate to this idea of not quite understanding who your parents are or making up stories about them.

Music - it's motivational and just makes you relax.

You can have integrity with your art, but worrying about integrity doesn't pay the bills.