Taika Waititi was afraid to call Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose to seek permission for music

Director Taika Waititi, known for his eccentric creativity and bold cinematic choices, was surprisingly hesitant when it came to asking rock legend Axl Rose for permission to use Guns N’ Roses songs in his latest Marvel film, Thor: Love and Thunder. Despite his love for the band, Waititi confessed he was too nervous to make the call himself, fearing he might ruin his own image of the iconic frontman.

In an interview with NME, the Jojo Rabbit director revealed that while he used four of the band’s most famous songs — “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” and “November Rain” — in the movie, he avoided contacting Rose directly to get his blessing.

“It was put to me — and it was one of the moments in my life where I was like, ‘I’m not gonna do that,'” Waititi explained. “I’ve met a lot of my heroes and then realised they weren’t my heroes. Axl Rose was definitely someone I thought, ‘I’m gonna f**k this up, I’m not gonna talk to him.'”

For Waititi, Guns N’ Roses has been a defining force in his musical life, shaping his childhood and continuing to be a major part of his personal soundtrack. “It was a real triumph, having one of my favourite bands from when I was a kid, the band that really informed the soundtrack to my life,” the director shared. “Still at 49, usually at about 3am when I’m in bed, I’ll watch GNR music videos.”

Despite his desire to use more of their tracks in Thor: Love and Thunder, Waititi joked that adding too many Guns N’ Roses songs might have been “overkill.”

But Guns N’ Roses wasn’t the only band Waititi wanted to feature more prominently in the film. The director also had a soft spot for ABBA, revealing that he had hoped to include more of their music as part of Thor’s character arc. Waititi thought it would be humorous if the God of Thunder’s favorite music was what he perceived to be a “Viking band,” referring to ABBA.

“I got one in there, but I wanted more of an ABBA theme throughout,” he confessed. “I thought it’d be funny if Thor’s favourite music was what he perceived to be a ‘Viking band’. He’d be like, ‘They’re a real tough Viking band called ABBA!'”

In true Waititi fashion, the blend of hard-hitting rock anthems with a playful nod to ABBA demonstrates the director’s signature style of mixing the unexpected with fan-favorite classics. And while he might have been afraid to reach out to Axl Rose personally, his admiration for the band shines through in Thor: Love and Thunder, solidifying the film’s high-energy, rock-infused spirit.