His new film explores whether a robot can learn to love, but Taika Waititi reckons he’s already got matters of the heart all figured out.
“No, I’ve always known what love is,” the Oscar-winning Kiwi filmmaker deadpans when Woman’s Day asks whether making Klara And The Sun taught him anything about romance.
But get Taika, 51, talking about his relationship with superstar wife Rita Ora and it turns out he’s learned at least one important lesson.
For their marriage to thrive in an international whirlwind, they have to make time for each other.
“We really just try to not spend too much time apart,” he says.
“It’s a very difficult thing when you’ve both got careers and you’re travelling around trying to play catch-up around the world.
“We make a real effort to not let it go longer than a few weeks. Otherwise, it just becomes a hassle. You start getting used to being alone and that’s not great. One thing we’ve both learned is that you’ve got to put the time in.”
Life with Rita, 35, is less about grand romantic gestures and more about taking care of each other, he adds.
Asked whether he’s the “gardener” or “flower” in their relationship, the Wellington-born director laughs, “We’re both kind of gardeners, but it goes back and forth.
“Sometimes I’m a very needy little flower, then sometimes she’s the one who needs watering, nurturing and sunlight. It goes both ways. We both look after each other.”
Safe place
And Rita’s assimilation into Kiwi life appears to be progressing nicely. Putting on a thick New Zealand accent, Taika grins, “She’s started to say, ‘Yeah, nah,’ and, ‘Oh, yeah.’ She catches herself saying it and she’s like, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t know if I should go back there. I’m starting to become one of you!’”
Despite the pair’s hectic globetrotting lives, Aotearoa [New Zealand] has become a place where the British singer and actress can put her feet up.
“She loves it at home,” says Taika.
“She comes down here and treats New Zealand like a big resort. She chills out, does nothing and really enjoys just having that downtime.”
It’s a vibe that Hollywood stars Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Steve Buscemi also got to experience while filming Klara And The Sun around Auckland, Wanaka and Arrowtown.
“It was a dream,” tells Taika, who has Te Whanau-a-Apanui heritage.
“New Zealand’s a place where people instantly feel at home and just relax. I’ve shot all over the world and there’s always something to complain about, but people are genuinely happy to be in New Zealand because after work, it’s just 20 minutes back to town, where there’s great food and restaurants. It’s just a nice, chilled lifestyle.
“I’ve known Natasha for years and I’ve always wanted to work with Amy. And then Jenna… I only met her through this film, but she became such a cool collaborator. She was just so into trying everything and had boundless energy. She’d always turn up, not complain and just do it.”
Wednesday actress Jenna, 24, got so into the Kiwi lifestyle, she even took lessons to drive like a local boy racer! “Jenna went drifting,” reveals Taika.
The director adds Aotearoa imbued the film with something special.
“The people, the land and the environment permeate the work I do, especially having Kiwi crew members around,” he explains.
“If you’re around New Zealanders, it seeps into the acting, the way that the film is shot and how it feels when you watch it.
“The films of mine I love the most are the ones shot in New Zealand because there’s this intangible feeling about them.”
Uncertain future
Based on the acclaimed sci-fi novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara And The Sun asks some big questions about AI, although Taika insists the technology felt far more distant when he began working on the film three years ago.
“At that point, I hadn’t even seen ChatGPT, so I wasn’t really paying much attention or taking it seriously. I thought this story was all still in fantasy land – this idea of having your own robot, but turns out it’s on the way.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with all that, but I do think that, eventually, what we see in the film possibly will come true – that we’re just going to abuse this technology we’ve developed and they’ll have to take it away from us.”
