"The Hollywood Glow up of Rhys Darby, 25 years in the making."
Stuff. July 17, 2022.
Original on Stuff||Archive.org
Highlights: A very cute, endearing narrative of what we all watched when
Taika and Rhys took a lie detector test together. When NZ comedy buds were in
the UK they weren't as well-received bc they were seen as backwater hicks from
'the colonies' vs. Americans loved bc NZ is such a small tiny place it's
"almost mythological." I think this was the same article too where
Rhys says Taika has never changed; he's still himself whether he's doing a
giant film or small indie, which was really sweet.
...
2m "Would you say you had the last laugh" and the way Taika scrunches into Rhys
3m Would you say as an actor, you have ‘leading man looks'?
3m40s What do you think of my looks, Taika? Dashing!
5m14s Rhys doesn't think ‘influential' is a word hahaha
5m33s "I think I inspire you"
6m "I watched your show 3 times"
6m45s "Have you seen my most recent show"- "No"- "Okay, so" / laughter
7m I'm celebrated for that role
7m40s Thank you so much for coming today. I'm just… adding that.
9m11s "That's another cool guy, coupla cool dudes!"
10m30s In some ways"-"[Tom Cruise] could fly you"
12m45s Taika struggles with ‘abominable' and chattin' chupacabras, Rhys 100% believing sasquatch is real
.Also big thank you to ታዲዎስ's readmore code here
News, Interviews/Panels and Notes
"Our Below Deck Means Death with Nathan Foad." TV, I Say w/ Ashley Ray #S2E12. October 12, 2022.
Original on earwolf.com||Archive.org
Highlights: 36 minutes in :
>"I remember turning to Taika between takes and saying, "You
know the gays are gonna LOVE you," and he was like "Oh, will
they?" I was like "You know exactly what you"re
doing." He"s so hot." -Nathan Foad and "I was prepared to be THE queer element of the show, I was prepared
to carry that whole thing. And then with Vico"s involvement and the
love story between the two lead characters, it was so special to watch the
show and be like, oh this is more than a wacky comedy." -Nathan
Foad
Thor: Love and
Thunder's Taika Waititi: 'We"re all Queer.' Out Magazine, July 8, 2022.
(Article)
Original on Out||Archive.org
Taika Waititi is ready for OFMD to 'go deeper into
relationship territory.'" Vanity Fair, June 21, 2022.
(Article+Podcast) "Interview: David Jenkins On Making "Our Flag Means Death" an Escape." June 16, 2022 (Audio) Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby Take Lie Detector Tests | Vanity
Fair, June 10, 2022. (Video)
Variety Virtual TV Fest: HBO Max Actors and Producers Panel 2022,
June 9, 2022. (Video)
Interview: Samba Schutte talks OFMD Hitting Con with a Sandwich, the Fandom
Family, and More. April 29, 2022. (Article) "The Cast of Our Flag Means Death Answer Uncommon Questions
| HBO Max," March 5, 2022. (Video) "Rhys
Darby and David Jenkins Interview: Our Flag Means Death | Screen Rant
Plus", March 2, 2022. (Video) nextstopwonderland on tumblr. Their equivalent masterpost of OFMD here
Original on Vanity Fair|| Archive.org
Highlights: "I can"t even spoil anything, but I would
personally love to see those two meeting up. Like seeing somebody at a party
after you"ve broken up. Just really going deeper into the relationship
territory," "Fan attention has been such an engine" -
"Oh, my god." (lol), "...with Our Flag, the thing
that"s made me the most happy is the fan art. Some of this art coming
in, man, is just incredible, especially the Stede/Blackbeard relationship
stuff, which it gets raunchy, some of this fan art. I collect it all on
my phone now."
"Our Flag Means Death Showrunner David
Jenkins on Fandom and Queer Fantasy" by Linda Codega. June 20, 2022.
(Article)
Original on Gizmodo || Archive.org
Highlights: fans are dooooope, also the Taika Belly was very deliberate
(Jenkins' IG abt BB's wardrobe inspo
here)
Original on awardsradar.com || Archive.org
Highlights: representation and the show not being about trauma, Taika as a star EP, Jenkins' Rhys Darby impression
Full Notes...
First question 0:00-3min : Jenkins' career summary and how his fam - especially his Dad - had great taste in comedy.
Jenkins explains he grew up watching horrible, dark, things growing up. They were 'scarring but in a good way.' And also you can't really tell what's gonna age well. ~3mins in
How did you come about the story of Stede Bonnet, Gentleman Pirate? "I love men in existential freefall and having identity crises" 7mins in
Did you always want this to be a romance between Stede and Ed? 8m50s "Oh it was definitely because they had a romantic relationship." and "To me it didn't seem like it could be anything other than that."
9-11 mins in: wanting the series to be so character- and relationship-driven that you could pull them out of the pirate world and into another universe and you could still tell the same/similar character- and relationship-driven story
12 mins in : on when Taika got involved as EP and when Rhys got involved. Taika as 'star EP' is very hard to pull off. But he's a smart businessman and so busy, so he pairs with people whose sensibilities he trusts to make big choices, and then he goes away, and he came back to OFMD and got fully behind it.
The virtues of "Yes, and" when it comes to creative collaboration (it's not a bunch of people saying "No, but" frustrating each other) 17 minutes in
What showrunners do; how your brain makes you forget how much pain was involved (yes they're related topics haha) 18 mins in
20 mins in praising Rhys Darby! 22mins in Jenkins does an impression of him/his Kiwi accent. Also fascinating that "Rhys in particular really disappeared into the role." Which led into appreciation for Rhys and Taika accepting and performing his comedy dialogue so well
26 mins What's the show's secret sauce? HBO doesn't seem impressed by the fandom but then he goes online and they have more likes on HBO's season 2 renewal announcement vs. HBO's new GoT spinoff. Fans picking up on and loving details that you came up with on a Tuesday sleepy with a migraine = amazing; lightning in a bottle.
32mins Jenkins anticipating mean/nasty tweets. The host saying there's too much negativity in the world, hold back on nasty tweets and Jenkins actually goes "ehhhh the mute/ignore button is great, I'm not gonna lose that much sleep over it." So much love for that. "With the hellscape we're living in right now, this show has become something of a refuge and I think that's why the fans have been so gentle."
34mins in with a diverse writer's room, this time period, do we incorporate slavery? The writers of color in the room asking "Can we not make this show about trauma?" Also OFMD "is more about falling in love than coming out." - "Made me realize how many people only see themselves onscreen when the trauma of x, y, or z is attached to their character as an anchor and they can't just be a character." (This is absolutely brilliant)
38mins your casting beyond Taika and Rhys? They really lucked out! The ways celebs get cast, everything's very up in the air but it's exciting.
40 mins Favorite eps? Eps 8, 9, and 10 are tied; where the show really found its footing. Break the Chain. Rhys and Taika's performances. Bonnet 3 words: lost, kind, adventurous. BB: troubled, lost, and fragile.
Original on YT || Archive.org
Highlights: "Leading man looks?"-"I think so!" Rhys
100% believing Sasquatch exists
Full notes posted to
Dreamwidth
During the Lightyear press junket, Taika revealed the location
and production start date of S2. Collider, June 9, 2022. (Article)
Original on Collider.com||Archive.org
"TIME100 Summit 2022 - Taika Waititi." June 9, 2022. (Video)
Original at YT || Fog's Gdrive Archive
Highlights: holocaust stories have to keep being made, OFMD is a love story btwn two guys who happen to be on a boat, his parents' experiences with oppression + having a great sense of humor
Full Notes ...
0-5mins Taika spills water.
TW’s bad at “meth” then re-pronounces it for us: “math.”
Problems w/the lav mic. Gets handheld mic instead. A nice gentle: “Keep going Molly, I’m listening.”
1m40s: “All my fave comedies have darkness attached to them.” Closest to the human experience. The blend is a great way to pull people in to important messages.
TW’s always liked putting stories ‘through the lens of a child.’ And holocaust stories need to keep being told; gotta find new ways to tell them or they’ll start forgetting. Cites a survey from a major newspaper
5-8 mins TW: “How sad that Jojo Rabbit is still relevant” re: young children getting indoctrinated.
TW on how to pick projects: Can lots of other ppl do it? “I like it when I think it’s a potential career ender.”
Mentions Jojo Rabbit, first Thor movie, the American Samoan soccer TV show. Thinking, Am I gonna go under for this? “That’s the sweet spot of creativity.”
8m-11m30s TV, longer time to develop characters and for interesting arcs (swapping hero & villain). TW’s heart is really with film. TV’s a great opportunity to meet other artists.
Our Flag Means Death is a love story btwn two guys who happen to be on a boat. Reservation Dogs breaks out of traditional ways we’ve seen Native Americans onscreen. Through oppression and poverty, you have to find things funny. “And that’s how I’m going to continue navigating the world, because it’s a joke.”
11m30s-14m Taika’s roots. Both parents had similar experiences of cultural oppression, both A+ senses of humor.
Ppl ask TW “Is it a Māori /Indigenous film?” Sure. He’s not riding whales tho. It’s important to normalize and demystify what it is to be native.
15m It’s difficult to direct people with a mask on : “try doing this expression for me” and they can’t see it.
When you only see the tops of people’s faces, everybody’s beautiful. From bridge of nose, down? It’s a mixed bag (lol(
Original on Variety
||
Fog's Gdrive Archive
Notes: "Basically everyone is on the gay spectrum in this
show." TW chooses pirates over superheroes. Loves the soft gay porn fans
make.
Taika Waititi, Ra Vincent on 'Our Flag Means Death'
Production Designer Ra Vincent On Building Pirate Ships, Navigating
Covid-Related "Rope Shortage" and How Pirate Comedy
"Rekindled" Waititi"s Love For "The Idea Of
Hollywood" – The Process. May 25, 2022. (Video)
Original on Deadline
"'Our Flag Means Death' Stars Talk Pirate Facial Hair and Sword Fighting | Entertainment Weekly." May 2, 2022. (Video)
Original on YT || Archive.org
Full notes: ...
David Jenkins "To our American ears, the New Zealand accent is the sound of kindness." 1m36s
RD: "Normally, Taika’s behind the camera, yelling at me." 2m12s
Taika drinking water(?) out of a wine glass, lol 3m23s
Taika talking about banter and improv is a nice safe space for him and Rhys 3m40s
Rhys suggests he ‘still’ has no sense of direction, haha 5m58s
Taika talking about how tough the beard was, you can't even laugh normally 6m
The 3 of them speaking obliquely about the last shot, of Stede dragging the boat out to sea being a favorite to shoot 6m30s
Original on nerdsandbeyond
||
Highlights: Taika directing improv - it wasn't Roach's own arm lol,
Rhys rolling with Samba abt the 40-orange cake
"Let's SEA how
well Taika Watiti(sic) and Rhys Darby know Blackbeard and Stede." April
29, 2022. (Video)
Original on IG ||
Highlights: Taika pointed out IRL BB probably wasn't as
violent as they said he was (awww I love he picked up on that), describe Stede
and Ed's relationship in 3 words - Rhys: Up and down, Taika: Down and
up
"Rhys Darby Discusses OFMD and New Zealand Outback Steakhouse." Lights, Camera, Barstool. March 22, 2022. (Video)
Original on YT||Archive.org
Highlights: This is the "friendship and bondship" interview haha, high-heeled man-boots. ...
0-3mins: At time of interview, 6 episodes of OFMD out right now with 4 more to go. RD confirmed it was a midlife crisis, avid reader, fantasizing, realizing he could buy his way into this life. He built a library on the ship so he could still escape from the escape. Took his wardrobe with him. Blackbeard was coming to the end of his tether at this point in time & pure boredom.
3m30s “Blackbeard’s really intrigued by this ridiculous gentleman that should not be in that world.” Darby interpreted BB’s plan to kill Stede & steal his identity to be authentic.
4m: “Although I say it was a midlife crisis, there is something deeper going on there.”
4m40s on the joys of working with Taika. Sometimes we do break. We had to dramatic act together and that was fun because we hadn’t done that before. “We gave each other high fives as we wiped away the tears”
6m10s Taika would look at some directors and go “you sure you wanna do that angle?” lol
7m15s “I was walking in high heels half the time, these dainty man-boots that I definitely tripped over some ropes.”
8m10s Interviewer mistook an instagram img of Rhys’s youngest son in full pirate garb for Rhys when he was young, haha, really cute. Son’s always been into pirates, Rhys not at all. Rhys liked knights, ninjas, and star wars.
9m45s Will you be in Taika’s Star Wars movie? No calls yet; we’ll see.
12m media like this hasn’t gotten made much bc actually out at sea, “hard to shoot, everyone gets sick,” dealing with weather, Pirate Radio/The Boat That Rocked
14m Rhy’s favorite funny bit? Taika improvising + making the aristocrats laugh and concerned Stede. Rope physical comedy for an hour genuinely worried crew. Snakery snackery bit.
15m28s the interviewer made me laugh bc he was admiring how Stede stood up for Taika’s BB and helped him, “great moment of friendship and bondship” hahaha
16m30s Flight of the Conchords, they all huddled “can you see how much $$ is surrounding us?!” Kiwi guys against the world. Band meetings were the funnest thing ever.
18m25 Ewen Bremner aka Buttons is Rhys’s choice for funniest person on set. Matt/Black Peter. Dave Fane, Joel Fry is funny as hell.
19m40s Rhys was annoyed/angry with WWDitS bc it was always at night, once it had to be 3AM, no script, he had a cold at the time. Jemaine and Taika told the actors to go up to Rhys and just annoy him. What we’re watching is Rhys being truly annoyed by incompetent werewolves
22mins Jemaine & Taika came up with the title “We’re Wolves” for a spin-off movie. “Will it ever happen? Who knows” - RD
22m22s Hamburgers fave junk food, Fave toy?: 2 Transformers toys were his faves, skateboard, action figures.
24m30s Any movie you want about any real person, who? Sir Edmund Hilary, New Zealander climbed Everest. Richard Pierce who invited ‘flight’ - slightly before the Wright Brothers.
26m20s Worst heckler moment? Someone shouted “Tell us a joke!”
27m30s Role you rly wanted but didn’t get? About an alien, it was called ‘Neighbor’ or something (I bet it was Syfy's Resident Alien). The White Lotus, the guy who shat in a briefcase. Interviewers tricked Rhys into believing it was the guy’s real shit during that scene lol
Original on YT || Archive.org
Highlights: Eye pegs, fish fingers, multiple crow's nests, cutting wit, Captain Haddock, wooden bodies
Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby at #OurFlagMeansDeath FYC event 22/03. March, 2022. (Video)
Original on YT || Archive.org
Highlights: wrap your kraken arms around me and squeeze, solo mums, happy accidents, "what do you mean?" giggly Taika and Rhys
Original on YT
Highlights: David busting out matelotage immediately, Rhys's kids don't
take him seriously when he tells them to do their homework, Rhys drawing
parallels between him and Taika and the characters after David waxed poetic
over their chemistry
"Why Rhys Darby Will Say Yes to Anything
with Taika Waititi" The Project. March 1, 2022.
Original on YT
Highlights: Powder blue photoshoot on Sydney harbour. "Look, when
you"re a styley guy."
1m30 "but like people of that
time, of that ilk, he really didn"t want to carry on with that kind of
life - he wanted a second chance, so he decided to become a pirate [everybody
laughs]"
2m30s the mundanity of piracy. "They"re all
around looking at each other and going so what else?! [everybody
laughs]"
3m15s "y"know a rural chat show hadn"t
really been done"
4m50s When Taika calls, do you just say 'yeah
I"ll do it'? "Well pretty much!"
Rhys says
"Thanks, Taiks!" on The Cryptid Factor / #008 The Stacked Issue
(With Special Guests Taika Waititi and Arj Barker), May 26, 2013. (Audio)
Original Podcast
||
nextstopwonderland's snippet
Behind the Scenes
Taika directed the pilot???
Taika directing Rhys "this is my family now"
@dvidjenkins IG original
||
Fog's Gdrive Archive
OurFlagHBOMax/Aaron Epstein
mickey mouse taika bandw on IG
||
mickey mouse taika bandw 2 on IG
||
Taika framing, watering rhys's son, taika pointing on twitter
||
tank top taika w/rhys's son on twitter
||
mickeymouse facemask on twitter
||
mickey mouse taikas in color on twitter
Samba making Taika and crew laugh
@sambaschutte on twitter original
Teatime melee during the pilot behind-the-scenes
@sambaschutte on twitter original
||
Fog's Gdrive Archive
Highlights: "We want this show to be a safety buoy of joy and inclusion among the
chaotic seas of the world. So here"s a little bts clip to bring
levity. Taika told us to go nuts. He does a great Rhys impression. Also
that"s @david_jenkins
being tortured on the table"
oh I've heard all about you
still from Aaron Epstein
jenkins' photos on IG of taika and rhys rehearsing
(taika in normal clothes vs rhys in costume ahhhhwhydoilikethatsosomuch)
Run me through
Aaron Epstein's IG highlights
(Photography)
taika belly unit still
||
run me through ||
post-stab comfort
ourflaghbomax IG
"we love a sensual swordfight"
The Best of Con
Happy Birthday to Con O'Neill
(Video)
@sambaschutte IG original
||
Fog's Gdrive Archive
F you, sky. (Image)
@rhysiedarby on IG original
||
This unit still that totally didn't awake anything within me (Con
and Nathan)
@aaronepstein on IG original
Rhys Darling Darby
Parasol (Image)
@sambaschutte on twitter original
Gizmo making Rhys laugh (Video)
@rhysiedarby on tiktok original
Aaron Epstein, Artist/Director of Photography on OFMD Season 1. A
wealth of OFMD behind-the-scenes photography on his IG.
Instagram ||
Official Website
Highlights:
spead-eagled taika
||
taika and rhys at hoity-toity party
||
david jenkins and taika on set
||
taika bandw flouncy shirt
and
in color on @ourflaghbomax on twitter
||
whole cast+crew photo
||
vico and taika rock on bandw
and then also
in color on @OurFlagHBOMax twitter
(Photography)
Taika acting in S1E8 We Gull Way Back. "He's my
friend, Jack!" courtesy of Alex Sherman, OFMD writer (Video)
@CapitalWLP on twitter original
||
Fog's Gdrive Archive
Patiently waiting aboard the Revenge (birds of paradise-robed
Taika spotting) (Video)
@sambaschutte on twitter original
Note the gusto, Lucious!
@stef_nico on tiktok original
||
Fog's Gdrive Archive
Taika dancing, Rhys is the button at the end (Video)
@rhysiedarby on tiktok original
||
Fog's Gdrive Archive
Cosplay Help/Resources
Heather Vandergriff, OFMD costume design and production. A wealth of OFMD wardrobe
details on her IG.
Instagram
Highlights:
The Badminton brothers
||
The Birds of Paradise Robe
||
Stede's Creamsicle Look
Blackbeard's hair/wig close-up from @dvidjenkins on IG
ISO: anything detailing Blackbeard's tattoos. OurFlagHBOMax on Insta - closeup of the back of right arm
here on @ourflaghbomax on IG
tHaT wAs ImPrOvIsEd??? // ThAt WaS aCtInG?!?
The most amazing fannish meta by not-she-which-burns-in-it examining the
acting/breathwork between Taika and Rhys during the You Wear Fine Things Well
scene.
Original on Tumblr
||
Archive.org
Their follow-up post examining the kiss scene.
Original on Tumblr
||
Archive.org
The foot touch in 1.08 was improvised by Taika: "That was
improvised, that one, yeah. That was just Taika [Waititi] deciding he should
do that. Because we were staring at each other. Yeah, it was just a little
sweet moment." March 24, 2022
Original on Collider
||
Archive.org
Confirmation from Rhys' Insta that snakery snackeries and 'a
dollop of milk... and 7 sugars' was improv'd
here on their IG @rhysiedarby
Not Really OFMD But Cool/Interesting/Cute
Taika Waititi on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, June
23, 2022
Original on YT
Highlights: standing ovation, Taika "likes to read a bit what fans
are theorizing and troll em. Little bits of joys in my life: my kids and
trolling fans", Colbert makes Taika laugh by obliquely describing a
scene of Tom Hiddleston fucking a horse, story abt WWDitS crew stealing LOTR
sets to build the vamp house
The famous Taika Naptiti thread on
Twitter
starts here by @mcuwaititi. February 24, 2020.
Thor: Ragnarok and Hunt for the
Wilderpeople Director Taika Waititi | Screenwriters Lecture. March 4, 2019
Original on YT
Highlights: this legend was hung over and not at all prepared. "I
tried and failed at other things. It"s bittersweet but now I"m
rich" // "Who doesn't find child abuse funny?" // "For
the most part I try to watch films - but I try and watch old films. I feel a
bit too close to contemporary cinema. I"d rather steal from something
really old because it"s harder for people to find out." (lol)
Tipsy
Talk with Taika Waititi with Hazel Hayes. Oct 24, 2017
Original on YT ||
Highlights: TW was shocked, working on Green Lantern, to learn how
much money's wasted on giant superhero blockbuster movies
Other Archivists I've Found and Loved
twocarsonenight on tumblr. Their taika enjoyer masterlist