Next Goal Wins tells the true and hilariously heartwarming story of the American Samoa national soccer team’s efforts to make the 2014 World Cup. They were publicly humiliated by a 31-0 drubbing to Australia in 2001, which still ranks as the worst loss in FIFA history. The US Soccer Federation hires Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), a renowned former Dutch player and coach, to change their fortune. Rongen, a belligerent drunk with anger issues, has a difficult time acclimating to the friendly and accepting culture of the natives. He gets off to an insulting start with Jaiyah Saelua (Kaimana), a fa’afafine, third-gender player, who’s considered male and allowed to participate.

The brilliant Taika Waititi directs, writes, and co-stars as a local priest and narrator of sorts. He was joined in our interview by Jaiyah Saelua, who still plays for the American Samoa team. Waititi wanted to see “brown faces, Pacific Islanders, and Polynesians on screen.” He comments, “We’ve got certain attitudes and ways of life that are interesting.” Their concept of the fa’afafine “has been around for a long, long time.” Waititi is proud that Pacific “indigenous cultures in general” have “bigger things to worry about than asking people what they want to do with their bodies.”

Saelua praises the filmmaker, saying, “I don’t think anybody else in Hollywood would have done this film justice.” Waititi is “a Pacific Islander” in “a story portrayed by more than a 90% Pacific cast and crew.” They appreciate his ability to “tell Pacific stories uniquely.” Waititi felt “a lot of love” on set but was in “such agony” for the entire shoot. He pinched his sciatic nerve and needed “a walking stick [to] run around the soccer fields.” Waititi literally took everything in stride but still had his “most enjoyable shoot.” He primarily “filmed outdoors” so when “the sun goes down it was time to have a cocktail and sit on the beach.” Please see below for our complete interview with Taika Waititi and Jaiyah Saelua, and you can watch the video interview above.

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Taika Waititi on the Idea of Acceptance

MovieWeb: Next Goal Wins is hilarious but surprisingly, it took me to a very emotional place. It’s a soccer film and funny, but there’s so much heart. Please discuss the American Samoa culture of acceptance. Taika, was that a driver for you to make the movie? And Jaiyah, were your expectations met in the final product?

Taika Waititi: It was definitely a driver. I wanted to see more. I want to see brown faces onscreen as much as I can. I want to see Pacific Islanders and Polynesians on screen, and I want to see their stories told by themselves or by us. And so, for me, to see elements of our culture on screen is a big element. We’ve got certain attitudes and ways of life that are interesting, but also, I think one of the main things is this idea of acceptance, this idea of fa’afafine, what it means, what it is, and how it’s perceived in the Pacific.

Taika Waititi: It is very accepted. It’s a very age-old concept, and it’s been around for a long, long time. While the West are struggling to even have a conversation, a thousand years ago, or whatever, these people were like, there are bigger things to worry about than asking people what they want to do with their bodies. Just move on and think about other sh*t. What I love about indigenous cultures in general is figuring out ways of dealing with things way before the west caught up to it.

Jaiyah Saelua: I don’t think anybody else in Hollywood would have done this film justice. Being that Taika is a Pacific Islander, and it’s a story portrayed by more than a 90% Pacific cast and crew, it just means a lot more because of those aspects, to tell Pacific stories uniquely, but also very respectful.

Related: Next Goal Wins: How Taika Waititi’s Upcoming Film Is a Long-Awaited Return to His Roots

An Enjoyable Shoot, Minus the Agony
Searchlight Pictures

MW: Taika, what was the best and worst day for you as director, co-writer, and co-star of Next Goal Wins?

Taika Waititi: There are always days where you feel like you’re a genius. You feel like you’re the best filmmaker in the world. Then there are other days where you feel like a complete fraud and everyone’s found you out. One of the worst days…there were a few quite bad days, because I got an injury just a few days before the shoot. I pinched my sciatic nerve. I couldn’t really walk for the whole shoot. There’s a lot of having to run around on soccer fields. So a lot of the time I had a walking stick and was on painkillers. I was in such agony. Thank God there were jokes and everything, and the humor, because otherwise I don’t know what the hell I would have done.

Taika Waititi: The best days? I’d say every day was also the best day because I was in Hawaii, shooting in sunlight, and surrounded by my people. It was just like creatively working with a family. We all cared about each other and there was a lot of love. It was one of the most enjoyable shoots I’ve had. And especially, it’s mostly shot outdoors, so when the sun goes down, that’s your day over. It’s time to have a cocktail and sit on the beach, which is another painkiller [laughs].

Next Goal Wins will be released theatrically on November 17th from Searchlight Pictures. You can watch the official trailer below: