Films like Eagle Vs. Shark, Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople to his credit, Taika Waititi has won rousing critical acclaim not as only a writer and director, but also as an actor. So when he took the helm of Thor: Ragnarok, Nerdist couldn’t help but wonder if Waititi would find a role for himself in the MCU. He did, and then some!
When we visited the set of Thor: Ragnarok last September, it was already known that Waititi vet Rachel House, who’d costarred in Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, had joined the cast of the third Thor installment. Naturally, we asked Waititi if any more of his recurring castmembers would be joining her. The director revealed Cohen Holloway, whose been in every one of his films, would, though he didn’t say in what role. But the really big reveal came next, when Waititi said, “I’m in it. I’m in all my films. I can’t help it. I’ll just jam myself in there if there’s a space.”
So who will the multitalented filmmaker play in the upcoming space epic?
Waititi co-starred as a bad dad in Boy and a fussy vampire in What We Do in the Shadows, but had smaller roles in his other films. As for Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi fans will find him hard to spot, thanks to some pretty intense CGI makeovers. “I’m playing one of the Planet Hulk characters: Korg, who’s a Kronan,” Waititi said. Korg is basically a brawny, super strong rock beast, whom we’re guessing will be battling in the gladiator pits of Sakaar along with Thor and Hulk. “He’s a bit bigger than me,” Waititi said, “So that’s all mo-cap.”
But Korg isn’t even the biggest character Waititi takes on in Thor: Ragnarok. The director revealed that he also gave the mo-cap performance for Surtur, a massive fire demon who can be spotted in the latest trailer. However, both Waititi and executive producer Brad Winderbaum noted that the voice performance for Surtur would probably be swapped out for someone else’s in postproduction.
But Waititi wasn’t through yet! He also Hulked out. “Because Mark [Ruffalo]‘s no longer here,” Waititi told us, “I’ll often jump in for Hulk’s stuff.” Because Ruffalo had already wrapped on the Australia shoot, Waititi gamely put on the mo-cap bodysuit and got his Hulk on as needed. “I’ll jump in for those things,” Waititi said, “Now and then I’ll be in there quite a lot.”
So, Waititi’s work will be all over Thor: Ragnarok in more ways than one. And it turns out Green Steve isn’t the only secret hero behind the Hulk.
Thor: Ragnarok opens November 3rd. Advance tickets are now on sale wherever tickets are sold. What’s your favorite Taika Waititi role?
Images:Unison Films, Marvel Studios
