5 Interesting Facts About Guillermo Del Toro

TV & Film

Oct 25

Guillermo del Toro is one of the most prolific directors working today. With several accolades to his name including an Academy Award for Best Director, he is one of the most prominent visionaries in film. His work utilizes monsters, folklore, and science fiction to convey human stories about isolation, trauma, and love. His partnership with actor Doug Jones has produced some of the most iconic non-human characters including Abe Sapien in Hellboy (2004), Faun and Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), as well as the Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water (2017).

The announcement of a new del Toro project typically comes with excitement. At a minimum, you are guaranteed whimsy and charm. At maximum, you might see a spellbinding masterpiece. The director’s latest vision is his take on an Italian folktale. His Pinocchio (2022) is set to release on Netflix in December later this year. It features the incredibly talented cast of Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, Tilda Swinton, David Bradley, and Ron Perlman. In anticipation of del Toro’s latest film, we decided to look back at the acclaimed director. Here are 5 interesting facts about Guillermo del Toro!

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5. He Was Born In Mexico

Guillermo del Toro was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is among a legion of talent to come from the Mexican city, including actor Gael García Bernal of Y Tu Mamá También (2001) and Disney+ acclaimed special Werewolf by Night (2022), and Patricia Riggen, director of Under the Same Moon (2007) and Lemonade Mouth (2011).

4. He Is A Teacher

The director gave masterclasses at the 33rd Guadalajara Film Festival. Variety recalls the excitement for the events noting that “30,000 requests for entry were made in the first half hour.” His classes told his story as a filmmaker. He spoke on his influences and why his work tends to latch on to concepts of monsters. He is quoted as saying “I think it was important for me to create ‘The Shape of Water.’ I needed hope. I wanted light and color and that there would be beauty above all else. I needed a product to help my soul.” The powerful sentiments were part of a class titled “The Geometry of ‘The Shape of Water’” and was shared with thousands.

3. He Is Charitable

The director is affiliated with many acts of charitability over his time in the spotlight. One of the most notable is his emergency aid fund he created with fellow Mexican filmmakers Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu, as well as actress Salma Hayek. Variety explains that the fund, titled the Audiovisual Emergency Fund, was intended to help film workers who lost wages. The article shares a statement from the fund that read “our most vulnerable collaborators cannot continue waiting.”

2. He Is An Author

In addition to penning the novelization of his science fiction romance film The Shape of Water (2017) with American author Daniel Kraus, he has written a graphic novel. The graphic novel accompanies his animated series on Netflix titled Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (2016-2018). The graphic novel, published with Dark Horse Books, is titled Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia—The Felled (2018).

1. His Film The Shape Of Water Won Best Picture

Guillermo del Toro is in an elite company having received Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Directing for his film The Shape of Water (2017). Bong Joon-ho achieved this tremendous feat with Parasite (2020), Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008), and Chloe Zhao for Nomadland (2020) to name a few.

Thank you for coming on this journey as we explored some of the most interesting facts about one of our favorite directors! Do you think we missed any facts that would have been on your list of interesting facts? I hope you had fun and see you next time!

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