While fans want to think filmmakers and actors take on every job for the art of filmmaking, this is not the reality for every case. Taika Waititi recently opened up about why he took the job to direct Thor: Ragnarok, which came down to money and feeding his children. The popular Marvel movie blew up his career, leading to bigger opportunities, from co-creating Hulu’s popular Reservation Dogs to another Thor movie, Love and Thunder.
The director had done two Thor movies, the former being a huge hit and the latter being a box office hit while being divisive among audiences. Ragnarok reinvented the Chris Hemsworth character to have more humor and heart, which resonated with audiences as it grossed $853 million worldwide. The controversial Love and Thunder‘s goofiness did not hinder it from raking in $760 million.
Taika Waititi on Supporting His Children When He Accepted the Thor: Ragnarok Job for the Most Money He Had Received
As a guest on the SmartLess Podcast, Taika Waititi looked back on taking on the job for Thor: Ragnarok for the money. Around that time, he had his second child with his at-the-time wife, Chelsea Winstanley. So, when the opportunity came for him to go from indie films to blockbusters, he took the chance despite having “no interest” in taking on a movie in the MCU.
It wasn’t on my plan for my career as an auteur. But I was poor and I’d just had a second child, and I thought, ‘You know what, this would be a great opportunity to feed these children.’
Taika Waititi on SmartLess
Some actors and directors of Marvel and DC movies have had a relationship with the comics. For the Oscar-winner, he never read Thor’s stories growing up. Even after doing his homework, he was “baffled” after reading one comic as his feelings as a kid had gone unchanged.
The indie director got traction in his career from 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, which eventually became a popular Hulu series, and 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople. By the time Marvel executives went to Taika Waititi to take on Thor: Ragnarok, his first thought was that he was the “bottom of the barrel” for the studio in its search for a new director.
Earlier this month, he confirmed he would not take on the next installment for the Norse god. The filmmaker is quite busy with his Star Wars movie, his adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, and other future projects.
