ROTTEN TOMATOES: Guillermo del Toro - RT's Dinner and the Movies Interview

Guillermo del Toro - RT's Dinner and the Movies Interview

The visionary director spends an hour talking to us about his career.

by Joe Utichi | July 13, 2008

Guillermo del Toro - Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com

The Hellboy II posters rightly - and finally - tout Guillermo del Toro as the visionary director of Pan's Labyrinth, but his films have had a visionary streak since his first, Cronos, a decidedly different twist on a vampire movie.

All through his dabbles with Hollywood with the likes of Mimic, Blade 2 and Hellboy, del Toro has successfully managed to remain true to his roots, with the masterful Devil's Backbone and 2006's brilliant Pan's Labyrinth.

But it's his unwillingness to compromise that makes del Toro a powerful filmmaker, even if it often means he's had to turn down projects that would otherwise have been a good fit. And it's a talent learned, no doubt, from the bad experience he had with the brothers Weinstein on Mimic.

Now he faces his greatest challenges. Hellboy II has just been released in the US and he's already hard at work adapting JRR Tolkien's book The Hobbit with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. Can Hellboy II prove del Toro a master of audience moviemaking, and will he be able to make the same impact with The Hobbit as Jackson did with the Rings?

As part of our ongoing series of Dinner and the Movies conversations - which kicked off with a mammoth chat with Kevin Smith and continued with similarly-gargantuan catch-ups with Neil Gaiman and Edgar Wright - we visited del Toro last month at De Lane Lea post-production facility in London where he was hard at work putting the finishing touches to Hellboy II.

For an hour we talked about his career past, present and future, and for the first time in Dinner and the Movies' short history, we present the entire experience as video. With our apologies for some technical troubles with sound, over twelve parts which can be watched back-to-back for a full experience, our Dinner and the Movies conversation with Guillermo del Toro is about as comprehensive as it could be.

Left to Right: RT-UK Writer Orlando Parfitt, RT-UK Editor Joe Utichi and Guillermo del Toro.

The topics under discussion in each part include:

Part 1 - On finishing Hellboy II and where the character goes from here...
Part 2 - On the projects he's turned down over the years...
Part 3 - On a change of plans after being offered The Hobbit...
Part 4 - On the weight of expectation on his back for The Hobbit...
Part 5 - On the so-called "bridge" film and how it will be shaped...
Part 6 - On why characters like Bilbo appeal...
Part 7 - On his grand ambitions from early on in his career...
Part 8 - On learning when to say no...
Part 9 - On the Mimic experience, and talk of a special edition...
Part 10 - On critical and commercial success and balancing the two...
Part 11 - On his love of idiosyncrasy...
Part 12 - On the trouble with modern moviemaking...

On each page you can watch the segments in full and enjoy text highlights should you be so inclined. So get watching!

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(1-20 of 29 posts) | Reply

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jul 10 2008 10:26 AM

DEL TORO IS THE MAN!

(Reply to this)

Bruce Campbell writes:
on Jul 10 2008 01:22 PM

God bless this man.

(Reply to this)

HappyBudda writes:
on Jul 10 2008 06:42 PM

del Toro is slowly becoming one of my favorite directors.. i can't wait to see Hellboy II.

(Reply to this)

smi1ey writes:
on Jul 10 2008 07:58 PM

I ditto the previous 3 comments. This guy is truly dedicated in heart mind and spirit to his work.

(Reply to this)

TreeSapX writes:
on Jul 10 2008 08:41 PM

Add me to that list.

(Reply to this)

Rafael28 writes:
on Jul 11 2008 01:09 AM

Greatest film director of our time, can't see anyone coming close.

(Reply to this)

firecover098 writes:
on Jul 11 2008 06:14 AM

He's hot. BTW, did you guys see his profile on 'Ri ch ki ss. c om'? Is he lonely? He has a nice profile with hot pics. And more he's a certified millionaire there. Is he looking for new dates seriously there?

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jacog writes:
on Jul 11 2008 06:59 AM

Haha... I was somewhat annoyed at the spammer above, but then it occurred to me how utterly hilarious it is.

Anyone here wanna see hot pics of Guillermo del Toro?

(Reply to this)

TheIceGhost writes:
on Jul 11 2008 09:41 AM

It's ashame he had to turn down Deathly Hallows, he would'a rocked the hell out of that (well, those) movie(s).

I also think he should direct an adaptation of the graphic novel Three Shadows, by Cyril Pedrosa.. that would be a-w-e-s-o-m-e.

Oh well, at least we have The Hobbit to look forward to.

(Reply to this)

ploox writes:
on Jul 11 2008 03:31 PM

this guy is a definite genius, can't wait to see what he does with the hobbit

(Reply to this)

Cal7 writes:
on Jul 11 2008 09:36 PM

In reply to this comment (#1859999)
Christopher Nolan is def better than him

(Reply to this)

TheMrE writes:
on Jul 11 2008 09:52 PM

Why don't you guys make a regular podcast out of this (and all) the interviews. I would love to watch them on the go.

(Reply to this)

agutierrez20 writes:
on Jul 11 2008 10:40 PM

In reply to this comment (#1862250)

I think Batman and Memento are good movies, but looking at the body of work of both directors i'll go with Del Toro, Nolan is good but not even close to GDT as far as inventive and original.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Jul 11 2008 11:46 PM

In reply to this comment (#1862400)
What about Insomnia and The Following. They are both great directors to me though, besides Del Toro's Mimic he hasnt made a bad movie.

(Reply to this)

Rafael28 writes:
on Jul 12 2008 01:25 PM

In reply to this comment (#1862485)
Insomnia could have been way better, it was so mediocre. I also thought Batman Begins was pretty over-rated.

GDT is a visionary.

(Reply to this)

mouveebuff99 writes:
on Jul 12 2008 05:17 PM

GDT has been the most under rated Filmaker for the past few years. Devels Backbone was great. I seen that when it first came out to rent. I was blown away, I then have followed his career very closely. I am a young filmaker myself and watching these videos that RTs has on, has been like a class lecture. This guy is great.

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the train writes:
on Jul 12 2008 09:43 PM

the mimic screenplay is available at http://sfy.ru/sfy.html?script=mimic, if anyone is interested in exploring the original third act. i thought it was a more believable ending than the one in the original movie. i would love to see what he could do with mimic if given the leeway to do it.

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tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jul 13 2008 09:02 PM

One of the ten best directors working in the world.

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diskjokk writes:
on Jul 13 2008 09:26 PM

Del Toro is one of the best directors working today. When I first saw Pan's, I was riveted, captivated, and enthralled; it was such a nice surprise to see a good, original, and entertaining story. After watching Pan's, I made sure to watch every other film Del Toro directed.

Thank goodness for a director like Del Toro.

I also agree with another post made earlier that RT should make this series a podcast if possible.

(Reply to this)

wordweaver12 writes:
on Jul 13 2008 09:54 PM

I love Del Toro and his visionary is to be respected. However, he tends to be a little over the top which is a good thing. My only fear is that, he might make "The Hobbit" too colorful and the movie could loose its flair

(Reply to this)