If you think What We Do in the Shadows is the funniest film, or you're an MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) fan who loved Thor: Ragnarok, or you think Jojo Rabbit should have won Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards, you've probably heard of Taika Waititi before.

The New Zealand actor and director has had success in Hollywood in recent years thanks to his great sense of humor, extraordinary skills as a scriptwriter and director, and his captivating presence both in front of and behind the camera. Curious about the director of Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder? Let's see 10 facts about Taika Waititi!

1. His Real Name is Taika Cohen

Although the director and actor is known as Taika Waititi, that is not his real name. At birth, he was given the name Taika David Cohen. Cohen is his mother's surname. When he started working professionally in the entertainment industry, he used the name Cohen to write scripts and direct.

He also uses his father's surname Waititi, to be used in his work as a visual artist. Eventually, the acclaimed director started using Waititi exclusively, which is his stage name now known to many.

2. He Has a Unique Fashion Sense

Taika Waititi is known for his many talents, but not everyone realizes that one of them is his ability to dress impressively. Waititi has often shocked reporters on the red carpet when he appeared, presenting a unique menswear style.

Waititi is never afraid to stand out. Regarding her style choices, Waititi told The Hollywood Reporter, "Making films is like a luxury job that no one realizes but it's really not a job. It's a very sweet, small creative corridor that I managed to get into. So I think you have to accept it," Waititi said.

3. He was involved in New Zealand's Funniest Series, Flight Of The Conchords

The HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords is one of the funniest shows released in New Zealand. The story is based on the fictional version of the folk comedian duo of the same name. The show follows Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie as they strive to become a top hit band.

However, the series began in a New Zealand art sketch show called The Living Room and featured Taika Waititi. In the art sketch, Waititi plays the manager of a band called Larry Pritchard, whose goal is to bring Flight of the Conchords to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

4. His Father was a member of a Motorcycle Gang

The 2010 drama set in Waititi's future, entitled Boy, depicts a boy whose father is a criminal. The father who has been missing for a long time has finally returned to his life. Even though the film is a fictional story, it looks like Waititi's real life is not much different from what was told in the film. Waititi revealed to actor Elijah Wood and producer Daniel Noah on their podcast Visitation that his real-life father was a member of a notorious motorcycle gang.

In the podcast, Waititi said, "He was one of the founding members of Satan's Slaves." Satan's Slaves is a motorcycle gang based around Wellington, New Zealand. In addition, Waititi's father is also an artist, and Waititi said that his father was very proud of everything his son did.

5. He was A Jew Who Dare To Play Adolf Hitler

Although Taika Waititi played the controversial role of the Jewish-hating Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler in Jojo Rabbit, the filmmaker himself is actually Jewish. Waititi's mother, Robin Cohen, is of Russian-Jewish descent.

Although Jojo Rabbit was a huge success both critically and financially, Waititi believes the film wouldn't have offended many people had they known that the actor himself was a Jewish man.

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6. He also Appears in Almost All the Films He Directs

Taika Waititi may be best known for his directing, but he is also a popular actor with much credit to his name, including in The Mandalorian. Apart from acting in several major Hollywood productions, Waititi has also acted in almost all of his own directing projects.

Apart from playing the lead role in Jojo Rabbit, Waititi has played the lead role in his films Boy and What We Do In The Shadows. In addition, he has had smaller roles in his other films, including the character of the dead in Eagle vs Shark, being a minister in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and his four roles in Thor: Ragnarok. His most iconic role in the MCU is Korg the stone-skinned alien who becomes Thor's best friend.

7. He Won an Oscar for Jojo Rabbit

During the 2020 Academy Awards, Taika Waititi won an Oscar for best screenplay adaptation of Jojo Rabbit. This was his first Oscar win, but it wasn't the only reason that this result was so outstanding.

Waititi is the first person of indigenous Maori descent to win the most prestigious award. With this Waititi has opened the door to more diversity at the Oscars.

8. He Sometimes Lets the Actors Improvise the Scenes

Taika Waititi has his own style of filmmaking, and he wants the actors to play their roles with equal quirks. Sometimes, Waititi doesn't let the actors see the script before they start shooting, as was the case during the filming of What We Do In The Shadows. Waititi wanted the actors' performances to be as organic as possible, and to ensure there was a certain level of authenticity, he hid the script from the actors until it was time for them to do the scene.

Jemaine Clement, who co-directed the film What We Do In The Shadows, told Vice in 2015 about the incident and said, "We have a script, but we won't be showing the script to the actors. Only Taika and I know where this is going. ... We try to surprise the actors to get their reaction and to get their ... natural rhythm," Clement said.

9. He Can Change the MCU for the Better

After the relatively disappointing first two Thor films fronted by star Chris Hemsworth, Waititi really changed the MCU for the better when he helmed the Thor: Ragnarok project in 2017. Waititi breathed new life into the Thor film franchise with its emphasis on improvisation, performance. Hemsworth's humorous centrality, and sense of wit and imagination. Waititi's approach also ended up making a huge impact on one of the MCU's biggest films.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Avengers: Infinity War screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely recalled that they really looked up to Waititi during the filming of Infinity War, advising them on how to make the Thor film lighter and funnier for the next installment.

However, they also say that given that everything Thor has lost in Ragnarok, from his father to his older sister as well as one of Thor's eyes, Waititi puts a lot of work into the playwrights in the drama department, allowing them to combine grief. Thor's immersive with its new comedic elements.

10. He Improvised Most Of The Dialogue In What We Do In The Shadows

The vampire mocumentary What We Do In The Shadows, directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords, gained a huge following after its release. In an interview with BAFTA, Waititi revealed that most of the dialogue for horror comedies is actually improvised by the actors at the director's discretion.

"We don't tell anyone what happened to their characters, just because we wanted it to really feel like a documentary," Waititi told BAFTA. He went on to mention that they had so many different shots in the film. At the end of filming they had a shot that was over 150 hours long, but eventually needed to be reduced to 90 minutes for the final film.

Well, that's the discussion of 10 facts about Taika Waititi, the actor and director who worked on Thor films. Do you think there are other facts about Taika Waititi that haven't been discussed here? You can share them in the comment section.

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Also Read >>>  12 Facts About Korg, The Adorable Character Who Will Present In Thor: Love and Thunder