Taika Waititi has revealed the final text he received from his late friend and co-star Sam Neill, who died in July at the age of 78. In the message, dated April 4, Neill congratulated Waititi on acquiring a film studio in New Zealand with Jason Momoa. Waititi shared this during a London screening marking the 10th anniversary of their beloved film, 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople'.
Final Text and Fond Memories
'Let's see what the date was… April 4th. He said: "Congratulations. You brought the studio, that's great!" This is the studio that me and Jason Momoa bought in New Zealand,' Waititi recalled, showing a photo of himself with his car. Neill had also taken that photo. The director described Neill as a 'very caring, loving person who just wanted the people he loved to be happy.'
Neill, famed for roles in 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Piano', had been due to discuss the film's anniversary with a journalist, but the interview was postponed days before his death. In the wake of his passing, an outpouring of tributes highlighted his kindness and sense of fun, both on and off set.
On-Set Zen and Generosity
Waititi fondly remembered Neill's relaxed demeanor during filming. 'It's very easy to get stressed on film sets; you're running around, you're trying to put the pieces together. I'd always look over and he'd just have a peaceful smile on his face. He was just very zen about it because he'd been in obviously 100 movies and shows, and so this was just another walk in the park for him. So it was nice, he was a bit of a leveller to have around. He would just keep people at ease.'
Young co-star Julian Dennison, who played Ricky in the film, echoed this sentiment. 'He was lovely. It was like hanging out with an older cousin or a really, really big brother. He made me feel safe. He made me feel important, as a young person in the film industry.' Dennison, now an adult, appreciates Neill's humbleness even more: 'I was 13. I'd seen Jurassic Park, but I didn't know the stature of the man he was, and for him to bring himself down to where I was, this young boy. He made me feel special.'
A Quintessential Kiwi Film
'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' remains the highest-grossing entirely New Zealand-produced film. Rachel House, who played child welfare worker Paula, struggled to hold back tears when describing Neill. 'I was fortunate enough, which I know many of us are from this film, to take away a real friendship. We continued to see each other often, and he was just one of the best. The world is not going to be as good without him in it. He was so kind, so gentle.'
House is proud that the film proved 'our stories can do well internationally,' though she initially hoped only that New Zealand would like it. Waititi attributes its success to its hopeful tone. 'The world is full of cynical and depressing films and art and music, and people taking themselves too seriously, and I think we're in a time where we need to be doing the opposite, and just laugh at how ridiculous humans are – and society is – that we're still waging war on each other and treating each other like s**t.'
Resisting Hollywood Pressures
The director shared that he's 'very bored' of current movies and TV, which often feature the same characters without depth or fun. He's proud that 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' retained its distinct New Zealand flavour, resisting sentimentality or Hollywood pressures. 'It's got a bit of everything. It moves between genres a lot, there's a big car chase for example. A lot of the stuff doesn't make any sense, but that's what makes it all work together.'
Waititi also credited the film for teaching him about balancing humor and emotion in his later work, including the Marvel films 'Thor: Ragnarok' and 'Thor: Love and Thunder', in which Neill made cameos. Despite Neill admitting he was 'baffled' by the MCU, he gamely participated.
A Magical Read-Through
The director knew the film would work from its very first read-through. 'Usually, those things are pretty disastrous. They're painful and it takes too long and everyone's tired, and you're like "Wow, this film doesn't really work!". And it's just because people have never read the script properly and they don't know each other. But that one, just off the page, worked so beautifully and I felt so great at the end of it.' He thought: 'If it's this entertaining and it makes people laugh this much in the room, just around a table eating pizza, the 10 years of f***ing writing it, they paid off and it's all going to be okay!'
'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' celebrates its 10th anniversary with a 4K release in cinemas and on digital platforms on August 7, and on UHD and Blu-ray from August 17.
