Daddy director Taika Waititi was as shocked as anyone when he won a Grammy today.
He won for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media, for his dark 2019 Nazi send-up, Jojo Rabbit, beating out A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood, Bill & Ted Face The Music, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga and Frozen II.
Taika accepted the award over a dodgy video connection during the Grammys pre-show this morning, beaming in from a trailer on the set of Thor: Love And Thunder in Sydney.
“I guess they’re just giving Grammys to anyone now. I’ll take it. Thank you,” he said.
“What can I say? It was so long ago I can barely remember anything about making that movie. But it seems like it’s never gonna go away, and I’m happy with that.”
He signed off by blowing a kiss, followed by a peace sign. “That’s all I’ve got to say. I’m going to work now.”
Watch the moment below:
THATS MY GRAMMY WINNER pic.twitter.com/8S1DazywYj
— ella (@tinytaika) March 14, 2021
The Jojo Rabbit compilation soundtrack included classic songs by The Beatles, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Love and Roy Orbison, often sung in German, as well as original compositions by composer Michael Giacchino.
When Gold Derby, a US awards and prediction website, tweeted about Taika Waititi’s win for Jojo Rabbit, he shared the post to his Instagram.
“Lol okayyyyyyy. Wtf they just giving grammys to anyone now,” he wrote. “Thank you @recordingacademy #grammys this is amazing! Gonna go write a play now.”
He shared a similar albeit briefer sentiment on Twitter: “Lol wtfffff.”
Lol wtfffff https://t.co/y8MSNTaUrn
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) March 14, 2021
And he also added a screenshot from writer Jenna Guillaume, with the deadpan addition: “I am happy today.”
I am happy today. https://t.co/QdOq9niSjf
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) March 14, 2021
While there’s no official news (that we can find) that Taika is actually writing on a play, the quip is seemingly a reference to one day becoming an EGOT, aka a person with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony.
Taika won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit in 2019, becoming the first indigenous person to be nominated and win the category. He’s also the first Māori person to win an Oscar for a screenplay.
He doesn’t have an Emmy yet, but it’s presumably only a matter of time – his US TV adaptation of What We Do In The Shadows was nominated for Outstanding Comedy, and he was also up for his voice acting work on The Mandalorian.
Taika now has this Grammy, which he is clearly very proud of, but has made no headway into getting a Tony. The solution is obviously to write a musical or play set in the Shadows extended universe.
If Taika Waititi hypothetically did become an EGOT, he’d join an illustrious list of just 16 people, including Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks, Whoopi Goldberg, Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Legend.
Note to theatre programmers: please commission a Taika Waititi vampire musical. I beg you.
