Matty Cardarople Reveals The Unique Way Taika Waititi Worked On The Reservation Dogs Pilot - Exclusive

It should come as no surprise that "Reservation Dogs" is one of the best shows to come out in 2021. After all, the series comes courtesy of two immensely talented co-creators, the first of which is Sterlin Harjo: He burst into the public consciousness with his critically-acclaimed 2007 indie darling, "Four Sheets to the Wind," and followed that up with 2009's "Barking Water." Over the years, he has directed numerous other short films and documentaries, and he even helmed the pilot episode of "Reservation Dogs."

Harjo's partner in crime for the new series, of course, is Taika Waititi. He may have gotten his start with indie features like "Boy" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople," but he's officially Hollywood royalty now. After breaking out with "Thor: Ragnarok" and winning an Oscar for "Jojo Rabbit," Waititi has his free pick of franchise vehicles. For now, he is remaining firmly within the Marvel Cinematic Universe for another "Thor" movie, while also stepping foot into "Star Wars" territory in the near future. The world's his oyster, and while he's plenty busy these days, he still finds time to work on his passion projects.

In an exclusive interview with Looper, "Reservation Dogs" actor Matty Cardarople (who plays Ansel) spoke about the unusual way Waititi checked in on the cast and crew while they shot the pilot.

If there's anything which the last year has taught the world, it's that it's easier than ever to work remotely. For many jobs, there's really no need to be in a physical location when services like Zoom and Skype make it a breeze to talk to others on the other side of the globe. 

This is a new reality that was on full display as Matty Cardarople and the rest of the "Reservation Dogs" team filmed the pilot episode. When asked if he had the chance to work with Waititi at all during filming, Cardarople responded, "I did on the pilot. Yes. He was actually in New Zealand filming 'Thor' and he was working on ['Reservation Dogs'] through Skype or one of those services." 

Sterlin Harjo directed the pilot, but Waititi undoubtedly had plenty to offer to make the best episode possible — even if it was through Skype. In any case, being directed by Harjo and working with Waititi was a dream come true for Cardarople, who went on to say, "It was really cool to work with [Waititi]. He and Sterlin kind of worked as a team and it was cool he was able to stay involved through the internet. Amazing what you can do with technology these days."

Just don't expect a Cardarople cameo in "Thor: Love and Thunder." The actor was quick to dismiss any idea of that happening later in the interview.

New episodes of "Reservation Dogs" air every Monday exclusively on FX on Hulu.