Page 28 - The Hollywood Reporter (January 2020)

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Jojo Rabbit
A World War II comedy featuring a Nazi youth and his imaginary friend
Adolf Hitler is a surprising crowd-pleaser thanks to its provocative and
timely message about ultranationalism and hate BY SETH ABRAMOVITCH
movie that, on paper
at least, could have
easily gone the way
of Jerry Lewis’ infa-
A mous debacle The
Day the Clown Cried, Jojo Rabbit
has defied all odds to become
one of the year’s most beloved
films — an unlikely comedic tale
about a 10-year-old fledgling Nazi
and his imaginary best friend,
Adolf Hitler. The film sprung
from the mind of Taika Waititi,
the New Zealand-based writer-
actor-director, who transformed
the sober 2004 novel Caging Skies
into a World War II-set fairy tale
that, when you least expect it to,
yanks the rug out from under the
audience while delivering a timely
message about ultranationalism
and hate. (Besides writing the
screenplay, Waititi also directed
and plays Hitler in a turn that
owes more than a little to John
Cleese and Mel Brooks.)
Fox Searchlight’s first release
as a division of The Walt Disney
Company, it manages to bridge
the divide perfectly between the
studios: a sharp indie wrapped
inside a tale of timeless inno-
cence. And the results — six
Academy Award nominations,
including best picture, best
adapted screenplay and best
supporting actress for Scarlett
Johansson — speak for them-
selves. THR caught up with Jojo
Rabbit producer Carthew Neal to
T H E
VITAL STATS
STUDIO Fox Searchlight
RELEASE DATE Oct. 18
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE
$35.1M
DIRECTOR Taika Waititi
CAST
discuss the triumph of the little the fact that more people are
Holocaust comedy that could. watching our film and having Roman Griffin Davis,
these great Q&As with people Taika Waititi,
Scarlett Johansson
I assume this is your first awards seeing the film several times. I’m
TOP AWARDS
season. How do you feel about it just loving the fact that more and 6 Oscar noms,
so far? more people are seeing the film
CARTHEW NEAL It is my first. It’s and it’s creating discussion. It’s 6 BAFTA noms, 2 Globe noms,
2 SAG Award noms
pretty crazy. But people keep say- not just a straight comedy — it
ing, “Oh, it’s so hard. You have to has got a lot to say, and Taika has
do this for so long.” And I’m got a lot to say with it. to create a movie that was even
like, “It’s not as hard as making better than the script.
a movie!” Whatever you’re doing, it
appears to be working. You must How did you find out about the
I could see it being pretty fun, too. be overjoyed about the film’s nominations?
I’m enjoying it and celebrating Oscar nominations. A lot of text messages were com-
It’s incredible. Everyone who ing through. A lot of beeping
From left:
actor Roman came on board — the cast and all beside the bed. And then lying in JOHANSSON: LARRY HORRICKS/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX. WAITITI: KIMBERLEY FRENCH/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX. NEAL: AMANDA EDWARDS/GETTY IMAGES FOR FILM INDEPENDENT.
Griffin Davis, the crew and Searchlight — came the dark and trying to read what
writer-director
Taika Waititi, because of Taika’s script. It was was going on. Then I jumped in
actress on the Black List for quite a few the car and ran to Taika’s and we
Thomasin
McKenzie, years. It was a much-loved script, had a good morning celebrating.
producer
Carthew but no one was sure Taika could It was fun.
Neal and Film pull it off. I’ve never been involved
Independent
president in a production where there was Were Oscar nominations something
Josh Welsh at
a Jojo Rabbit that much excitement prior to you hoped might happen while
screening in starting. That script was so loved making Jojo Rabbit?
October in
Los Angeles. and people were so excited about For me, it was that I loved the
it, and it was daunting to attempt message in the heart of the film.
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