Remember those photos of Taika Waititi, Rita Ora and Tessa Thompson getting cozy together in Australia? Well Taika does — and he thinks the whole situation is no biggie.
Taika Waititi, 45, is finally speaking on those infamous PDA snapshots with Tessa Thompson, 37, and Rita Ora, 30. In a new interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Taika addressed the buzz surrounding the May 2021 photos, which showed the film director, Tessa and Rita showing some major PDA with each other while in Sydney, Australia. When asked if the photos circulating online upset him, Taika responded: “Not really. I think in the world of the internet, everything goes away pretty quick.”
At the time the photos were taken, Taika was in Sydney directing the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder film. Tessa was there since she stars in the film as Valkyrie, while Rita was rumored to be dating Taika as of the month prior. The snapshots showed Tessa and Rita locking lips as they leaned over Taika, who wrapped his arms around both ladies while they all sat at a small table of drinks outside Taika’s home. But Taika said in his interview that the whole thing was no big deal. “I was doing nothing wrong. It’s fine,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
While Taika has made his feelings clear on those PDA pics, Tessa and Rita have remained mum on the situation. The trio has all since departed Australia as Thor: Love and Thunder wrapped filming on June 1. Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan and more actors will also star in the Marvel flick. And since Rita was there and seemingly has a close relationship with the film’s director, it’s always possible she makes a surprise appearance in the highly anticipated feature as well.
The Taika-Rita alleged romance comes after the New Zealender reportedly split from his wife Chelsea Winstanley in 2018 after seven years of marriage. Taika and Rita were first linked in April 2021, when Rita posed for a cozy pic with Taika and shared it to her Instagram as part of a post that included other snapshots of her eventful week. “Good times, memories, random things on my phone and the ones I love..❤️ #midweekupdate,” she captioned the post. Tessa was also present in the photo slideshow: she appeared in one image that showed the actress and Rita sitting in a car together.
Only time will tell if fans get more clarification about this fascinating Taika-Tessa-Rita dynamic. But we sure are invested in seeing what happens!