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BAFTA winner Taika Waititi makes hilarious quip about the food backstage

The actor picked up a BAFTA for his film Jojo Rabbit


taika waititi© Photo: Getty Images
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
February 3, 2020
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Taika Waititi had a great time at the Royal Albert Hall last night after picking up the BAFTA for Adapted Screenplay for his blockbuster film Jojo Rabbit. But it seems that after accepting his award, the actor and director had a rather nice time enjoying the food backstage!

WATCH: All the action from the BAFTAs red carpet

Speaking to HELLO! and other reporters in the winners press conference room, Taika was in great spirits and was pleased with the food on offer, stating: "I just ate some of those lovely little square sandwiches [over there], they're lovely and you cut the crusts off!" He continued: "All my life I wanted my crusts cut off and my mum would never do it, and you have the same thing here, but [she'd say], 'If you eat your crusts it makes your hair go curly' and I [would say], 'Yeah but I don't want my hair curly I want it less curly.'"

MORE: Find out what lavish dishes the stars ate at BAFTAs 2020

taika wins bafta© Photo: Getty Images

Taika picked up the BAFTA for Adapted Screenplay

Taika, who directed and starred in Jojo Rabbit, also spoke about his big win for taking the story from book to script: " I think people don't realise about adapted screenplay is that you have to be able to read other people's stuff… and make it your own." The director, who looked suave in his tuxedo complete with Wolf & Shepherd Knight Slippers in Patent Onyx, continued: "So I decided to write the best screenplay I could and let that be the pitch, and I thought that if I could just capture the tone with the script that really explained the movie that I wanted to make then that might be easier, then I did it and it worked."

The film was nominated for an impressive six awards at the BAFTAs and has also received six Academy Award nods. As well as transforming the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens into a script, Taika starred in the film as a fanciful, imaginary friend version of Adolf Hitler, which received some criticism. "It was never meant to be an authentic portrayal," he explained, "You had to be a ten-year-old in a grown-ups body." He continued: "If it was a big celebrity playing Hitler then I think it would have taken away from the heart of the story about the kids, it would have been a distraction."

MORE: The stars Prince William and Kate Middleton met at the BAFTA Awards 2020

taika and jojo© Photo: Getty Images

Taika with Jojo Rabbit actor Roman Griffin Davis

Jojo Rabbit wasn't the only film that was up for many awards at the BAFTAs at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night. Sam Mendes WWI epic 1917 was nominated for nine awards, of which it won seven including Best Film. Joker was another film that was tipped to win big, with 11 nominations, but took home just two awards including Leading Actor for Joaquin Phoenix. Many of the stars were in attendance alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Royal Albert Hall for the awards, before moving onto the dinner and official after-party, sponsored by American Airlines, at the Grosvenor Hotel Park Lane.

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