-Taika, it is so wonderful to see you again.
And this is one of my favorite books
that you're doing these YouTube readings of.
How did you come about picking "James and the Giant Peach"
and what made you want to start reading it with people?
-Um, well, hi. -Hi.
-Well, I'm doing some Roald Dahl stuff
with Netflix at the moment,
and we're turning a bunch of his books into animations.
And just through my relationship with the Dahl Story Company
and the family and everything, they -- it was their initiative
just to do something to raise some money.
And we thought it was just a really nice idea to --
yeah, to have a series of readings over the natural --
of a whole book, something that you could tune into each week.
And it just feels like a nice thing to do with your kids
and just, you know, for people to sit around.
Almost like a radio show
but with some really blurry pictures.
And then it just sort of built from there,
just getting more and more people on board,
and it's been quite a long time since I've read that book.
So when I started reading it,
I just kind of forgotten it had been so long.
And so it was really like reading it
for the first time for me.
-I'm pretty sure the only time I have read it,
it was read to me by my mother.
So I actually am a little disappointed at how my mom
did not pull in any celebrity friends when she read it.
-Well, you know, this is sort of --
you know, a big lesson learned with what we're doing,
I think, for most parents out there,
just to befriend lots and lots of celebrities.
This is the first time
I've met most of those people, by the way.
-You did get a pretty impressive group.
Meryl Strip -- Meryl Streep. [ Laughs ]
-And Meryl Strip.
We've got to get rid of Meryl Strip.
-Well, Meryl Strip you never want around children.
She is -- [ Laughter ]
-Very different episode. -[ Laughs ]
Camilla Parker Bowles.
How does that come about?
-I'm still very nervous even talking about that.
I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to address it.
There were a lot of rules.
Like, okay, basically, you know, you can't look her in the eye,
and you've got to call her certain things.
Couldn't come in and say, "Hey, Cami."
-Right.
-Yeah, I mean she was really lovely.
But that was probably the most subdued
I'd been in all the readings. -Yeah.
-I was on that. -Congratulations.
You just received an honor from the Queen of New Zealand.
I hope I'm stating that right.
-I'm right in with royalty at the moment.
Me and the crown.
Yes, that's right.
I mean there's so many letters attached to it.
I mean, O-B -- an Order of Merit.
You become an Officer of the Order of Merit.
But it's something I've been doing for a while.
I like to think the Queen just googled all her subjects
in the colonies and said, "Oh, what about that one?"
What makes it good is that it's --
you're recommended by people
in your country, you know, for those things.
And then it goes up top, and I guess she just sort of --
yes. -Well, that's a nice honor.
Another nice honor, of course, we spoke right before the Oscars
last time we spoke.
You were nominated for and then you won the Oscar
for writing the screenplay for "Jojo Rabbit."
I have to assume to some degree
because of the press you did on our show.
I mean, that's -- -Yes, that's right.
And I think I got a lot of points with the little card
that I made you.
-You made a beautiful drawing. -Yeah, yeah.
-You're a handy guy.
I also want to get back to "Jojo Rabbit,"
but you've been making some incredible --
would you call them puppets?
What are you making? -Yeah, I've been sewing.
I've been trying to teach my kids how to sew.
I've been a sewer, you know, since way back,
and they're not really interested.
All they do is just say, "Make me a snake.
Make me a bear." So I just do all the work.
And it's a lovely thing.
I think, you know, one of the things
I can take away from just the lockdown at least
is spending a lot more time with the family and with my kids
and being able to try and keep them entertained
by really exciting things like sewing.
-Yeah.
-You know what would be great today?
-You know, is it two girls, 4 and 8?
Is that right? -That's right, yeah.
-And they're not impressed with your non-sewing work?
-No. They don't --
they don't really care for anything else I've done.
They've been on all the sets of all my films.
I think it was just the last one they were on,
probably like the fourth or fifth film they've been on,
where they got an inkling
that I could make some decisions on a film
and that I might be someone, you know, important.
But usually -- my 8-year-old likes to troll me
and say things like, "Oh, Dad, I really love 'Iron Man.'
Great film."
Knowing full well I didn't make it.
And then the 4-year-old is at that age
where she just gets in your head, you know.
You know, they understand the psychology of men,
and they start to sort of
just tearing you down psychologically.
So I'm dealing with that.
-What was your process of writing the screenplay
for "Jojo Rabbit"
compared to other times that you've written scripts?
Was it different?
-It was very different in that --
and I really hope I capture it again
where it was just quite easy.
That's the first time I've written a script
from page one all the way through.
You know, usually I start at the end.
Okay, this will be a good end.
And maybe something -- this is at the beginning.
Then a couple of things in the middle,
and I try and glue them all together and make it make sense.
But that one flowed quite easily,
and I'm scared that that won't happen again.
-I know you're working on a "Star Wars" film.
You're working on another "Thor" film.
Obviously you have to fit into pre-existing worlds.
You obviously have cracked it before.
I thought "Thor: Ragnarok" was fantastic.
Is it nice to have that structure in place of the worlds
that have been built before you start working,
or is it a little -- -Yeah, it is.
It sort of feels -- I mean "Thor" feels
like an adaptation of something.
You know, you're using source material.
And for me it was a lot easier coming in, "Okay.
I don't have to make up any characters.
This is great." -Right.
-I just have to make them do funny things.
I mean, who knows with "Star Wars"
exactly what the tone will be.
But similar thing.
There's -- Well, with "Jojo" it was also an established world.
-Yeah, that's true. -Yeah, yeah.
But definitely on something like the Marvel films,
it's a really fun environment to work in,
because you can look at the comic and say,
"What about this character?"
-Yeah.
-They're like, "Okay, give it a go."
-Well it certainly paid off last time.
They made a great choice with you at the helm.
And it's always just a delight to talk to you.
Stay healthy and love to your family.
-Thanks, mate. Lovely to see you.