Taika Waititi Finds Being Around People ‘Really Draining’

Taika Waititi is considered one of the film world's extroverts, but in a recent interview he's admitted that he finds being around people 'really draining'.

The renowned director is known for keeping his sets lively, with Cate Blanchett once memorably describing the set of Thor: Ragnarok as 'one long Mardi Gras parade'. However, in a chat with Wired it turned out that the New Zealander can actually struggle in company.

"It’s just really draining," the 46-year-old said.

"With whoever – it doesn’t matter who. Even my family. But definitely people I’ve never met before."

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It's a surprising claim from the Academy Award winner, and he clarified later in the interview that his comment had 'absolutely nothing loaded' about it. It just sounds like sometimes he can get a bit peopled out and, well, who can't relate to that?

Slightly contradicting himself, Waititi did say elsewhere in the interview that he needs people around him to work, commenting: “When there’s life around me, I feel more creative".

He added: “If it’s quiet, it feels like school. For me, the more stimulus, the better.”

That's pretty different to finding actual conversations with people draining, though, we reckon.

This comes after the first full trailer for the forthcoming Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder dropped.

The sequel to 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, the film follows Chris Hemsworth’s superhero on a vast spiritual and physical journey from his attempt at peaceful retirement to his struggle against Marvel’s newest villain, Gorr the God Butcher (played by Christian Bale). 

The film’s trailer has certainly built the anticipation of fans and presents itself as a combination of an action blockbuster and a love story, with Thor himself saying his ‘hands were once used for battle, but now they’re but humble tools for peace’.

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Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord and his unconventional crew, the Guardians of the Galaxy, are shown prominently, suggesting that they'll be featuring heavily in the film.

Some other popular characters are making a return too, such as Korg and Jane Foster, with the movie's one-sheet also confirming the return of Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif.

We also got our first look at Bale's new villain, with Waititi teasing that Gorr is 'probably the best villain that Marvel’s ever had'.

We'll all find out more on 8 July when the film finally hits the big screen.

You can read the full interview with Waititi in the July/August edition of Wired, which is now available on newsstands.