Taika Waititi

The portrayal of Jaiyah Saelua, a fa'afafine footballer, in Next Goal Wins attracted criticism concerning misgendering/deadnaming and a narrative centred on the redemption of a white coach.

State of the evidence

film, criticism and responses from the person portrayed documented

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

artistic responsibility as director and co-writer

The Time Bandits series abandoned the original film's premise of having its main bandits played by actors with dwarfism. Members of the community denounced the loss of rare leading roles and a contradiction with contemporary discussions of inclusion.

State of the evidence

casting decisions, community criticism and creators' responses documented

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

shared creative responsibility as co-creator and executive producer

In a video with Tessa Thompson, Waititi joked about the unrealistic appearance of several VFX shots in Thor: Love and Thunder. The episode prompted controversy at a time when VFX artists were denouncing excessive workloads, deadlines and working conditions at Marvel.

State of the evidence

Vanity Fair video and reactions from professionals and observers documented

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

personal responsibility for his comments; Marvel's general working conditions not attributed to Waititi without evidence

Photographs showing Waititi in an intimate situation with Rita Ora and Tessa Thompson during filming of Thor: Love and Thunder went viral. Australian media reported that Marvel had reprimanded him because the images were not considered appropriate for a major franchise.

State of the evidence

photographs and Waititi's statement documented; Marvel reprimand reported but not publicly confirmed by Marvel

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

personal responsibility for public behaviour; professional consequence reported by secondary sources

Jojo Rabbit, a comedy centred on a Nazi child with Hitler as his imaginary friend, divided critics. Some considered that its humour and sentimental tone risked making Nazism appear too endearing or minimising the reality of the Holocaust.

State of the evidence

film and public reviews documented

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

direct artistic responsibility as writer, director and performer of the imaginary Hitler

Sharing a speech by Killer Mike during protests following George Floyd's death, Waititi wrote that anger should be channelled in a particular way. Online users and director Matthew A. Cherry criticised him, as a non-Black person, for attempting to dictate how Black anger should be expressed.

State of the evidence

tweet and public reactions documented

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

personal responsibility for his comment

Taika Waititi described New Zealand as "racist as fuck" and discussed the treatment of Māori, discrimination and repeated mispronunciation of Māori names. His remarks triggered a national debate over generalisation and structural racism.

State of the evidence

public statements documented

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

personal responsibility for his remarks