The Truth About Jojo Rabbit's Most Important Prop

Vincent and Lang's experience on Jojo Rabbit wasn't unusual. As Vincent describes, director Taika Waititi encourages all members of the cast and crew to give their creative input.

"The greatest thing about working with Taika is he allows his technicians to first present their idea," Vincent says, "and he's open to the chance that it could be an exceptional idea." That extends to the actors, too. On set, Waititi encouraged his actors — including The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant, who's part of Jojo's journal's biggest scene — to improvise if they felt comfortable (via Deadline).

That being said, Waititi does have a strong vision, and he won't hesitate to take charge if concepts don't deliver. Vincent says, "At the end of the day, if it's not working for him, he has his own really confident backup plan."

According to Vincent, having that safety net can be freeing. "He's very good at letting you know how to execute [the plan], if you're not feeling confident yourself," Vincent says. "I've always felt it's great being in films with Taika because you best represent your work."

That doesn't just go for the big names on the crew, either. Vincent says that Waititi's collaborative approach towards filmmaking trickles all the way down, which is good, because there are some very talented people who worked on Jojo Rabbit at every level. In the film, the Czech Republic stood in for Nazi Germany, and Vincent has nothing but praise for his central European collaborators.

"The Czech Republic and Prague are a hub for some really important storytellers and craftsmen who have an amazing energy and heaps to offer," Vincent says. "We might think that we're a tiny little island in Los Angeles, but actually the world has these pockets of genius that we really should be tapping into to enrich our experiences."

Jojo Rabbit arrives on digital distribution platforms on February 4, 2020, and DVD and Blu-Ray on February 20, 2020.