Taika Waititi considers Klara and the Sun to be his 'most dramatic movie'

Taika Waititi rejects the claim that Klara and the Sun is a "fun romp with robots".

The 51-year-old filmmaker has helmed the new movie, which sees Jenna Ortega's titular android trying to adapt to human life after becoming Josie's (Mia Tharia) companion, and described it as the "most dramatic" project he has ever worked on.

Speaking to SFX magazine, Taika said: "It's very different to my other stuff.

"It's the most dramatic thing I've done. I think with most of my films the hard part is how to market them. People are gonna look at the trailer and go, 'It's a fun romp with robots', and it's not, you know?

"It's a deep meditation on the human condition. I like changing it up. I'm enjoying this little foray into the dramatic side of myself."

Waititi explained that he felt out of his depth working with Ortega and was pleased that the Wednesday star frequently challenged his approach to the film.

He said: "All the actors I've cast in this, but Jenna especially because she carried everything, really saved my a*** in a lot of ways.

"You always want that, because I'm always worried with someone who just goes along with whatever I say."

Klara and the Sun is adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro's novel of the same name and Taika was pleased to get a "supportive nod" from the Japanese-British writer.

The Jojo Rabbit helmer, who co-wrote the script for Klara and the Sun with Dahvi Waller, said: "He was very open about saying, 'I've done my bit. Now I'm handing it over to you to do what you want with it, as long as you don't screw it up and stay somewhat faithful to it, then it's yours.'

"So that was really cool just to be given that supportive nod."

Waititi shot the film in his native New Zealand and says that the country's landscape added to the story.

The director said: "I wanted to stay true to the book with everything, but I wanted to spend a little bit more time when she's out in the fields.

"I'm not gonna say, 'Make the wheat fields a character', but... they're there all the time, and the landscape is so prominent, both in New Zealand but also in the book.

"Ra Vincent, who's done most of my films' production design, made some pretty bold choices with that house as well. We were looking at, 'What could it possibly look like, slightly in the future? What are the trends?'"