Back in 2021 during the filming of Thor: Love & Thunder, director Taika Waititi was photographed engaging in what looked like a three-way smooch with his girlfriend Rita Ora and cast member Tessa Thompson.
This sparked rumours that the trio were in a throuple, which Ora has now debunked two years on.
In a new interview with British GQ, the singer explained that she chose “not to acknowledge” the headlines at the time so that they’d go away.
“I think when some things are so absurd, and it’s hard to fathom any sense of it, you just have to ignore it,” she said. “I’ve taken that approach for a lot of things, because you don’t want to put energy towards something that’s nonexistent.
“It’s like trying to explain something that didn’t happen means you’re feeding into nothing.”
She said the viral moment was nothing more than a night out where everyone becomes “best friends.”
“And then the next day you’re like, ‘I was talking to this person in the smoking area for four hours and I’ve got no idea who they are?’ Literally – that [photo] was just a bunch of friends having a good time,” she explained.
“They [Taika and Tessa] had a crazy schedule and everyone was letting loose. I love that. Each to their own.”
With that said, she was pleased that the concept of same-sex PDAs was being celebrated.
“The good news though, is that when I was on Twitter talking to my fans, all of my incredible LGBTQIA+ fanbases were like, actually – whether this is true or not – I’m so inspired that this is being normalised publicly,” she concluded.
“That made me really happy. You don’t know who it’s touching.”
Shortly after the pics went viral, Taika Waititi brushed the whole thing off when probed about it by ET Canada.
When asked if he’s upset about the whole shitshow that ensued after the pics went viral, Waititi responded: “Not really. I think in the world of the internet, everything goes away pretty quick. And also, ‘is it that big a deal?’ No, not really. I was doing nothing wrong. It’s fine.”
The Daily Telegraph reported that the director apparently got a mad talking to over the photos.
“Not exactly the image they’re looking to project in relation to one of their biggest franchises,” a Thor: Love and Thunder production source told the paper.
They added that although Taika Waititi is known for being a “party animal”, that particular photo “crossed a line” and so the hero flick director got a talking-to by the powers that be. Woof.
In photos published by the Daily Mail, Rita Ora and the director appeared on Waititi’s balcony in Sydney, alongside queen Tessa Thompson. It was v. ~intimate~. You can catch the pics here.
After that very same Taika Waititi party, Tessa was photographed macking on with one half of Sydney model twins, Zac Stenmark.
Sneaky photogs spotted the Thor: Love and Thunder star kissing the Aussie model as they left Taika Waititi’s after party on Sunday.
E! News reported that she and Zac were “just two of the many guests who partied the night away at Taika’s home in the suburbs.”
Have a peek at the piccies here.
Wild, wild times.
It has since been rumoured that Taika Waititi and Rita Ora have gotten hitched so I guess they’re not a throuple after all?
