Taika Waititi‘s online reputation has long since fallen from grace, to the point where almost everything he does or says has people ready to pounce. This time, however, the issue is not so much what he says, but how he says it.
At this year’s Raising Our Voices luncheon organized by The Hollywood Reporter, which took place on May 31, Waititi took the microphone to give a few words. Of course, in typical fashion, the actor and director jumped at the opportunity to make some sarcastic jokes about the rise of Artificial Intelligence, something that has been worrying artists and writers all over the world. Naturally, one can’t mention the subject without also commenting on the Writers Guild of America strike, which Waititi promptly did.
In a clip shared by THR on Twitter, the Thor: Love and Thunder director can be seen talking lightly about how he just wants the strike to be done and over with:
“Man, I can’t wait for the strike to be over. As a WGA member, I can’t wait for us to get the thing that we want.”
Lo and behold, with only those two sentences, Waititi once again gathered the internet’s attention for the wrong reasons, as people are taking issue with his tone of voice. Folks claim that while his words seem innocuous, they sound flippant, as if minimizing a historic event.
WGA member here – he’s minimizing a historic strike (he didn’t have to say anything at all) and making it seem like no big deal, when we have members who are food insecure and can’t make rent.
— Liz Hsiao Lan Alper (@LizAlps) June 1, 2023
It’s the way he’s saying it. Like the strike doesn’t matter. Like it’s a joke. I live his work so much, yet this little speech was a major misfire.
— Bons (@Bongela_Ice) June 1, 2023
In all fairness, some have come to the defense, considering that Waititi’s words have been taken out of context. Those who are familiar with the actor’s brand of humor claim that joking about the WGA strike in no way disregards its importance. They further point out that people are quick to pick apart everything Waititi says, just as an excuse to hate on him some more.
These are sensitive times for all writers, but it seems like folks need little reason to point fingers at Waititi. Just recently, the artist caught some heat due to his controversial approach to filmmaking and split the internet with a hot take about directing, making these WGA comments just another item on Waititi’s list of supposed offenses.