Taika Waititi's Grammys Win for 'Jojo Rabbit' Surprised Everybody, Including Himself

There are so many Grammy categories that it is easy to forgive a star for being genuinely [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

There are so many Grammy categories that it is easy to forgive a star for being genuinely surprised for winning one, especially those not usually working in the music industry. That was the case Sunday for filmmaker Taika Waititi, who was shocked when he found out he won a Grammy for the Jojo Rabbit soundtrack. The achievement means he is one step closer to an EGOT since Jojo Rabbit earned the New Zealand director an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay last year.

Waititi won the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media since he was credited as the compilation producer for the Jojo Rabbit soundtrack. The other nominees in the field included Frozen 2, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Bill & Ted Face the Music, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. According to the Recording Academy, the award goes to the "one or two individuals proactively responsible for the concept and musical direction of the album and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable."

"Well, thank you very much for this honor," Waititi said in his acceptance speech from the set of Thor: Love and Thunder. "I guess they're just giving Grammys to anyone now. I'll take it. Thank you. What can I say? It was so long ago, I can barely remember anything about making that movie, but it seems like it's never going to go away. And I'm happy with that." Waititi did thank Jojo Rabbit's distributor, Searchlight Pictures. "That's all I've got to say. I'm going to work now," he said in the end. "Thank you. Much love! Take care. Appreciate it."

Jojo Rabbit hit theaters in October 2019. The film tells the story of Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a young boy excited to join the Hitler Youth who communicates with an imaginary friend version of Adolf Hitler played by Waititi. However, his life is changed when he learns that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Johansson), Best Production Design, and Best Film Editing, alongside Waititi's win for his screenplay.

Waititi is now working on Thor: Love and Thunder, his follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok. The movie features Chris Hemsworth as Thor again, with Christian Bale joining the cast as Gorr the God Butcher. Natalie Portman is also back as Jane Foster, and characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies also appear. The movie hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

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