Taika Waititi is a busy, busy man. Just in the last couple of years he’s knocked out Thor: Love And Thunder, overseen TV hits like Reservation Dogs and the very lovely Our Flag Means Death – as well as being connected to all kinds of other projects, from the long-gestating live-action Akira, to his Flash Gordon, a TV version of Time Bandits, a Star Wars project, and loads of bits and pieces besides. So it’s no wonder the central message of his latest film – the long-awaited Next Goal Wins, which actually shot prior to Love And Thunder – ended up resonating with him. As he tells Empire, it all comes down to this: “Be happy, and slow the fuck down.”
The film, scripted by Waititi and The Inbetweeners’ Iain Morris, is based on the absolutely gorgeous 2014 documentary of the same name, about the national football team of American Samoa and their attempts to win their first ever match. That was a tall order, given that they’d been beaten 31-0 by Australia in the not-too-distant past. So they called for the services of Dutch-American hardnut Thomas Rongen, who tried to get the team in order while being changed himself by the welcome he got from his new Samoan pals.
Playing a heightened version of Rongen in Waititi’s film is Michael Fassbender – and the character’s journey towards a more peaceful mindset over the course of the film had an effect on the director. “There are probably elements of the character we created around Thomas that I see in myself — that I see developing if I lose my patience,” Waititi admits. “I’ve got quite high standards when I work with other people, and can feel — when someone’s not getting things right — this thing build up in me. I feel like this idea of becoming more patient with people is a thing that I’ve had to learn from being patient with this film.”
That patience was necessary – production on Next Goal Wins took a considerable amount of time, delayed by the pandemic and the necessity of swapping Armie Hammer for Will Arnett in a supporting role. Still, filming in Hawaii helped. “I really understand why Adam Sandler just does everything in Hawaii,” Waititi says. “It’s just nice to be around brown people. It’s like being at home! You want to relax me? Put me around Pacific Islanders.” New goal unlocked.
Read Empire’s full interview with Taika Waititi – about Next Goal Wins, football, and learning to unwind – in the David Fincher issue, on sale Thursday 28 September. Order a copy online here, or become an Empire member to access the digital edition on launch day. Next Goal Wins comes to UK cinemas from 26 December.