Taika Waititi sees death in a "very different way to other people".

The actor and director became close friends with the late Sam Neill after the pair co-starred in Hunt for the Wilderpeople - the 2016 comedy movie Taika also produced, wrote and directed.

Taika was joined by castmates at an event in London on Thursday night (30.07.26) to mark the 10th anniversary of the film, where he reflected on the recent sad news of Sam's death.

He told the Press Association: "We had a great time with Sam - I think it was in March - where we had the 10-year anniversary screenings in New Zealand.

"Got to hang out with him then, and we kept in touch since then. I've had a lot of good times with him, and there's no regrets on my part."

Sam died on July 13, aged 78, after losing his battle with pneumonia.

But Taika insisted he knows it won't be long until he sees his friend and collaborator again.

He explained: "I see death in a very different way to other people.

"It's sad that I don't get to chat with my friend or hang out, but I'll see him in a bit. I don't feel like any of this is the end of things."

At the event, Taika also remembered working with Sam - particularly how "chilled" he was "about everything".

He laughed: "Everyone's stressing out: Will we make our day? The sun's going down. Can we get this shot?

"The guy's done Jurassic Park, The Piano, Event Horizon, Omen 3. He's been around so long, doing so many things… Nothing phased him.

"I was grateful to have someone who was just calm around me. He put things in perspective."

Sam had previously told Screen Crush that he had been a fan of Taika's long before he was cast in Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

He said: "I was already really excited to work with him because he's such a new and original voice in indie cinema, and I'd like to be in some way associated with that."