James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro have been friends for over thirty years. Discover the rather crazy story uniting the two filmmakers, who respectively make the news with “Avatar: the way of the water” and “Pinocchio”.
They are currently making the event, one with Avatar: the way of the water, which has just been released in theaters, the other with a new version of Pinocchio available on Netflix. They are James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro, two major contemporary filmmakers who have the distinction of being very good friends.
The friendship between Cameron and del Toro dates precisely from 1992. At that time, the first was already an essential director with the successes of Aliens, Terminator and Abyss, while the second was only about to unveil his first production. for the big screen, the horror film Cronos.
The first meeting between the two men takes place during a barbecue organized by actor Ron Perlman. Current flows immediately. “Early in my career, I would stay at James’s for months and we would watch cartoons every night”recently told del Toro in the ReelBlend podcast.
In 1998, their friendship will consolidate with an incredible story. When Guillermo del Toro’s father is kidnapped in Mexico, James Cameron pays the ransom out of his own pocket!
“He came and took control, he talked to the hostage negotiator, he did everything on his own, we never asked him”says del Toro, still at the microphone of ReelBlend. “Then he said ‘I’m paying the ransom.’ He’s that kind of person, he’s incredibly loyal and strong.”
Today, the two filmmakers are still very close. Proof of their friendship? Guillermo del Toro was able to discover Avatar: the way of the water well before its release, showing himself to be dithyrambic and totally conquered by the work of James Cameron.
In an interview with the Daily Beast in 2013, del Toro spoke about his friendship with Cameron. “Except Mimickingwhere we were locked up in Toronto without being able to show the film to anyone, he helped me on all my films”said the Mexican filmmaker.
And del Toro continues: “For Blade II, he gave me some remarks on the editing. I was with him in the editing room for True Lies, titanic and Avatar.
When I was going to Pacific Rim, he gave me a private lesson on 3D conversion and 3D theory. I can’t ask for anything better! He’s a great friend and an even better director.”
Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’ trailer: