Taika Waititi 'scoured the Earth' to find his Hitler for 'Jojo Rabbit'

Taika Waititi says before he cast himself as Adolf Hilter in his upcoming directorial "Jojo Rabbit", the filmmaker was on a hunt for the right actor that seemed never-ending. "I scoured the earth for the perfect actor and sometimes your search for the right person is staring at you right in the mirror," he told Deadline, referring to himself.

An anti-hate satire, "Jojo Rabbit" is a film about a young German boy (Roman Griffin), who finds out that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Waititi plays the boy's imaginary friend, Hitler.

"It's (the film) a 10-year old boy’s manifestation of Hitler, the little devil that sits on your shoulder, a version of Jojo giving him terrible advice while he’s being lured by a Jewish girl. "We (adults) don’t look very sane to children. Children are smarter in the sense and they have a view of the world that’s a lot clearer,” the director said.

Waititi is credited for reviving Marvel Cinematic Universe's 'Thor' franchise, led by Chris Hemsworth, with his idiosyncratic wit in "Thor: Ragnarok". He said balancing laughs with solemnity has always been his style and he "won't stop doing that".

"I’ve never been able to separate the humor and drama because it’s true to the human experience and every day is a constant swinging back and forth between comedy, tragedy, and horror." Also starring Sam Rockwell and Rebel Wilson, the film is slated to be released on October 18.

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