Taika Waititi is one of the names dominating headlines in Hollywood this year. To start with, his most recent film: Thor: Love and Thunder is currently the sixth-highest grossing movie of the year.
Apart from the success of the MCU project, Waititi has also been the talk of social and traditional media, following various rumors about his love life. The New Zealand-born filmmaker is currently dating British musician Rita Ora, and had previously been said to have had a fling with Tessa Thompson, who he worked with in Thor.
Another reason for Waititi’s recent spell in the spotlight has been the overwhelmingly positive reception of his period romantic comedy seriesOur Flag Means Death on HBO Max.
The ten episodes of the show’s inaugural season were released on the platform in March this year. Following rave reviews from fans and critics alike, Our Flag was officially renewed for a second season in June.
As well as directing the first episode, Waititi is also one of the main stars. Here is what he – and some of his other castmates – have said about working on the show.
8 Rhys Darby Loves Working With His Co-Stars In Our Flag Means Death
Rhys Darby is Taika Waititi’s countryman, and they play rivals, turned pirate colleagues, turned friends, turned lovers in this mostly fictional story. Their characters – Stede Bonnet and Edward “Ed” Teach / Blackbeard respectively – are actual historical figures.
Darby discussed the show with Collider earlier this year, and revealed just how much his co-stars mean to him, saying: “I really adore all of them!”
7 Our Flag Means Death Is “The Most Fun Con O’Neill Has Ever Had”
English actor Con O’Neill plays Israel "Izzy" Hands, Blackbeard’s trusted number two. The character is also based on an actual pirate from history. Before the show premiered on HBO Max in March, he shared a trailer on his Twitter profile.
O’Neill accompanied the trailer with a caption that read: “Ok peeps here [is] the new trailer for ‘Our Flag Means Death’. It's the most fun I've ever had with my clothes on... or off.”
6 Samba Schutte Joined The Cast To Work With Rhys Darby
Samba Schutte features in Our Flag as one of Stede Bonnet’s salaried pirate crew members. The Mauritanian-born Dutch actor was a massive fan of Rhys Darby before the show, and he was determined to land a part in it once he knew the Yes Man actor would be one of the main stars.
“When I saw that [Rhys was] gonna be involved in something I was like, ‘I need to be a part of this. I need to be part of this,’” he told Nerds and Beyond while discussing his role in Our Flag.
5 Vico Ortiz Is Proud To Be Part Of The Cast
Vico Ortiz features in Our Flag as a non-binary character called Jim Jimenez. Being non-binary themselves, Ortiz is very proud to be a part of a show that is so deliberate about representation.
“When I first read the script, I cried,” Ortiz told Entertainment Weekly following the release of Season 1. “It's amazing what they're doing with this story. So it's huge, and I'm very, very proud to be part of it.”
4 Leslie Jones Was Ready To Play Spanish Jackie For Free
Former SNL star Leslie Jones plays a recurring role in Our Flag Means Death. Her character, Spanish Jackie is rooted in pirate folklore, although her existence has never been concretely confirmed.
Jones apparently loved the part so much that she would have been willing to do it for free. “I’ve always wanted to play a woman like that,” she said in conversation with Polygon in March.
3 Kristian Nairn Was Thrilled When Our Flag Means Death Was Renewed
It might take a while for Kristian Nairn to shake off the public’s perception of him as “the Hodor actor” from Game of Thrones. In Our Flag, his character is called Wee John Feeney, yet another one of Stede’s crew members.
When HBO Max confirmed that there would be a second season of the show, Nairn wrote on Instagram: “I’m sure most of you have seen the wonderful news by now! The support you folks have shown is just unreal.”
2 Rory Kinnear Loves The Fan Reception For Our Flag Means Death
Rory Kinnear plays two different characters in Our Flag Means Death, both twin brothers serving in the British Naval Service. The James Bond star has been impressed by fans’ response to the show.
“The reception [has been] fantastic,” Kinnear said, speaking to The Wrap. “I’m so thrilled, not only for the cast and crew, but for David, the writer as well.”
1 Our Flag Means Death Revived Taika Waititi’s Love For Acting
Apart from directing one episode of Our Flag, Taika Waititi was able to focus purely on his acting role. This, according to him, helped to reignite a flame for the craft, something that he was somehow losing before.
“I really just loved the idea of doing something where I could just go and act and not have to worry about anything else,” he explained, in an interview published on The PlayList.
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