|
|
by Ken Miyamoto
Guillermo Del Toro is a seasoned director from Mexico... first famous for the horror film Cronos, which depicted a vampire tale with more scares and more haunting images then you could ever imagine. Naturally, he was the first choice for directing Blade 2. Del Toro was actually approached to direct the first, but he was unavailable at the time.
His American debut film Mimic, starring Oscar Winner Mira Sorvino, was yet another haunting tale that brought us into the depths of Del Toro's dark psyche. He crafted a mixture of digital effects and realism that wasn't found in most genre films of these days. The finished product was an unconventional horror film mixed with the horrific images that he was renowned for.
Blade 2, a brilliant sequel, brought the Blade story to a whole new level. While the first film depicted the tale with more of an action theme, Del Toro came in and delivered that very same feel... but this time with more horror. Usually directors that are brought into a sequel project of such a successful film, try to put the previous outing aside, and create something of their own vision. Del Toro, dedicated to the idea of the franchise, insisted that the studio find ALL footage shot during the first film... even the images that never made it into the final cut. He wanted to capture the same feel for Blade's world, and THEN offer his unique style of storytelling... mixing action, with horror.
I'm sitting in my apartment, waiting for his call. Knowing that I'll only have a short time with him, I try to come up with questions that will give me the most answers, so you, the reader, can feel like you also were part of that conversation... and learn as much as you can.
Many of you probably haven't seen his other films. Most of them are foreign. But after this interview, hopefully you will see that he is a passionate filmmaker... focused on nothing more than telling his stories. In Hollywood, many of such filmmakers create a bravado of ego and selfworth. After speaking with Guillermo, I feel that he is a movie fan first... and then a filmmaker. Why? His love for the movies resonates in his speech. You could even call him a film geek of sorts. He could talk and talk about anime and movies until the sun goes down. Because of that, I relate to him.
The phone rings, his PR rep Karen greats me with a hello and says that she'll be connecting me with Guillermo in a few moments. I wait patiently.
Suddenly, I hear a voice with a strong, but not too thick, Mexican accent. Mr. Guillermo Del Toro everyone!
KEN: Hey, how's it going! I'm Ken from Einsiders.com... good to meet ya.
DEL TORO: Oh, the same here.
KEN: Just for setting purposes for the readers, where are you right now?
DEL TORO: I'm in the pre-production offices of Hellboy and we are in the design stage right now.
NOTE: Hellboy is a largely anticapted adaption of the comic book bearing the same name. In the final days of World War II, the Nazis attempt to use black magic to aid their dying cause. The Allies raid the camp where the ceremony is taking place, but not before a demon--Hellboy--has already been conjured. Joining the Allied forces, Hellboy eventually grows to adulthood, serving the cause of good rather than evil.
KEN: Are you scouting for that movie right now?
DEL TORO: Yeah, we've been designing and scouting for locations and all that for five or six weeks now.
KEN: Great, when do you start shooting?
DEL TORO: Not until March.
KEN: Any casting done yet?
DEL TORO: Just the casting for Hellboy, and that's Ron Perlman.
KEN: That's right. You worked with him in Blade 2 (Ron was previously in Alien Resurrection, City of the Lost Children, Cronos, etc.).
DEL TORO: And Cronos, yeah.
KEN: Why horror? I mean, why not comedy, melodrama...? What really drives you towards that genre so much?
 DEL TORO: Well, the first thing is that I love monsters, I identify with monsters. There is a beauty to them, and I find both an empathy and compassion towards them, because monsters, by being the ultimate inhuman, disfranchised creatues, illuminate our humanity. They are the ultimate outcast.
KEN: There's good horror movies, and there's bad horror movies... what do you think is the difference between the two?
DEL TORO: I think that the difference between the two is that when you see a horror movie that offers you no new images that will make you dream for a moment, the same type of monster, the same type of creature, the same type of situation with a teenager being chased by someone with a potato peeler (I laugh), well it's really boring. You know, it only can last so long. When a movie comes in with an idea, an image, a moment, where you go, "Oh my God I haven't seen that before, what is that..." then that's a good movie.
KEN: I think one of the main differences is the use of digital effects. Some directors nowadays seem to be over using digital effects... like in The Haunting. You, however, seem to blend both digital and live action, at least in Blade 2. Which do you like better, which is easier? Do you like the digital aspect, the new aspect... or do you like the realism?
DEL TORO: Well I think effects are tools. You use a monkey wrench when you need a monkey wrench. You use a hammer when you need a hammer. The same with digital or physical, it's not that one is better than the other. One has a bigger degree of "I'm here" realism, which is the physical one. There's no substitution for something that REALLY is in front of the camera. The other one has a lot more appeal of mobility... more flexible. So if you have to choose between more pliable or real, you make your choice.
KEN: That's what I like about Blade 2 is that it blended it perfectly almost. Sometimes you look at the images and you don't know which is which.
DEL TORO: I say that, very proudly, that the planning of the digital monster effects with the physical is something I'm very proud of.
KEN: You like anime, don't you?
DEL TORO: Very much.
KEN: Watching Blade 2, I can see a lot of anime undertones. Was that on purpose, or just from your subconscious?
DEL TORO: That's what I absolutely looked for. First of all the design of the uniform of the Bloodpack was designed from an artist, two artists, that are very good comic artists from Japan. Aside from that, some of the monsters even, are very influenced by anime. And anime has a style of violence and action that is so cartoonsih, and so outlandish, that it's not offensive... it's almost like slapstick. I wanted Blade 2 to have that almost slapstick quotient. As opposed to being blood wrenchingly realistic violence. In that, Blade 2 is very much like a rock concert... if it's too loud, you're too old.
KEN: What are some of your favorite anime films?
DEL TORO: I would break down anime into different catagories. The master of animation is Miyasaki... he's the master. You cannot almost even classify him as such. Ofcourse I love Akira, Memories, his little piece in Robot Carnival...
KEN: That's my favorite... I was going to mention that to you!
DEL TORO: Oh yeah, it has beautiful set pieces! I love Oshi, his live action films Avalon, Blood, and of course the masterpiece, Ghost in the Shell.
I'm a big follower of lesser known series like Cowboy Bee Bop, Nadia, Ninja Scrolls of the World.
KEN: I was actually surprised you mentioned Robot Carnival... a lot of anime fans that I've spoken with aren't familiar with it.
DEL TORO: Well, it depends how deep you go. I really, really like my anime.
KEN: Warner Brothers is prepping a live action version of Akira. Would you ever be interested in directing it?
DEL TORO: I think they're on crack!
KEN: Yeah, I'm kind of worried about it myself.
DEL TORO: Yeah, but it will never ruin my DVD (of the original anime classic). My DVD will still play fine (he laughs). But I think that it's a very brave thing to attempt, and I'm very glad that I'm not the one trying it.
KEN: Back to Blade. Why did you turn down Blade 3?
DEL TORO: No, I didn't turn it down... it's just that I'm doing Hellboy.
KEN: Oh! So there's no specific reason why.
DEL TORO: No, I actually wanted to do it. They said they're going to apparently go at the same time that I'm doing this (Hellboy). I
would have LOVED to do the third one!
KEN: Well, I know you're busy so I'll close it up a bit by a few quick answer questions, if you don't mind.
DEL TORO: Sure.
KEN: I'm going to mention a few names, they may be related to you, they may not, but if you could just give me a quick statement of what first comes to your mind when I say them, that would be great.
The first one, Blade 2?
DEL TORO (without a thought): Wesley Snipes.
KEN: Well, the next one is... Wesley Snipes.
DEL TORO (laughs): Blade 2.
KEN: High School?
DEL TORO: Hell on Earth!
KEN: I read somewhere that you said that you were very Goth in high school.
DEL TORO: Yeah, but I actually had a good time in high school. But, I'm much happier at 38 than I ever was before!
KEN: That's good. The next one is, At the Mountains of Madness?
DEL TORO: The movie of my life!
KEN: Is that something that's coming in the future?
DEL TORO: Either right after Hellboy, or two movies down. To me, Mountains of Madness is like... Titanic for me.
KEN: Give me a quick breakdown of the story.
DEL TORO: A group of scientists go down to Antarctica to do an investigative drill. To collect fossils. And they discover a civilization that predates anything known to man by several millions of years. It's a race of cosmic beings, that are as large as a house or as small as a man. They basically were creators of life. Accordinging to the ruins that the scientists find, they actually created life on Earth as a cosmic joke! So here we are, finding what remains of our masters, and the horror that comes from some of those creatures still being alive.
KEN: Looking forward to that one! Now, The Left Hand of Darkness?
DEL TORO: It's a gothic western adaptation of the Counte of Monte Cristo set in Mexico in the 1860's. During the French intervention. It's essentially a western with all the fashions of a horror film.
KEN: Is that coming up soon?
DEL TORO: That seems to be walking away towards the horizon.
KEN: That's too bad. This one isn't too related to you but just want to get your feedback... John Carpenter?
DEL TORO: I like John Carpenter. I like some of his films more than others. The last one I saw of his, which was Vampires, I thought was really good.
KEN: He's one of MY favorites and you seem very similar to him in many ways.
DEL TORO: He has been very influenced in his style by Howard Hawkes. Which is a filmmaker I love, but I find myself to be far more flamboyant (he laughs)!
KEN: The last one is... Directing?
DEL TORO: Best fucking job in the world!
KEN (laughing): Did you start in high school?
DEL TORO: I started when I was eight, doing super 8 films. I was directing before I knew it was called that. I'd grab the camera and tell people what to do, and when I was 14, someone told me that it was called directing.
KEN: One last question, then I'll let you go. I'm a screenwriter, how do I get into this business? How do I get my stuff read?
DEL TORO: It always happens by accident. That's what happened to me.
(He starts to laugh again)
Unfortunently, the accidents don't tend to reproduce in the same way! It's just like a domino effect, and you have to wait for those dominos to be clicking near to you and be prepared to fall!
WE BOTH LAUGH!
KEN: Well, I look forward to that.
DEL TORO: All right, man.
KEN: Thanks a lot, I appreciate it! Good luck with everything.
DEL TORO: Thank you.
I hang up the phone, and stop my recorder. Feeling very buzzed by the chance to talk with such an acclaimed filmmaker, I'm still left wanting more. He was such an open person, which is hard to find in this business. While I would have loved to sit down with him for an hour or so, I'll have to settle for the next best thing... heading over to netflix.com and renting Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Mimic, and watching my advanced copy of the Blade 2 DVD... which is coming out in a double disc set on September 3rd. We'll be seeing a lot of Mr. Del Toro in the future... keep an eye out for him.
Ken Miyamoto
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Advanced Media Network : : :
Cube |
Xbox |
PSP |
DS |
Game Xplain |
Revo-Europe |
RPGamer |
Anime |
Einsiders |
AMN Radio
American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the hardest hit areas of Katrina’s destruction, supplying hundreds of
thousands victims left homeless with critical necessities. By making a financial gift to Hurricane 2005 Relief, the Red
Cross can provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need.
