James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro are both undisputedly among the greatest directors of our time: Cameron made three of the most successful films of all time with ‘Titanic’ and the two ‘Avatar’ parts, del Toro is a multiple Oscar winner (including Best Director and Best Film for “Shape Of Water”) and unites a large fan base behind his often imaginative and whimsical works.
What very few people probably know: The two are not only good friends, but also lived together – that’s what del Toro has in him -Podcast told. “We have been friends since 1992, so 30 years,” said the maker of “Pan’s Labyrinth”, who was then at the beginning of his career, while Cameron already had films such as “Terminator” and “Aliens: The Return”. To his credit. “The first time we met was at a barbecue at Ron Perlman’s house. I had just finished ‘Cronos’ and he had just finished ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’.”
The two took an immediate liking to each other — so much so that the future “Hellboy” director moved straight in with Cameron. “At the beginning of my career, I lived with him for months and we watched anime every night”del Toro said. Cameron showed him the anime series “Patlabor,” which would later serve as the inspiration for “Pacific Rim.” Del Toro, in turn, introduced the “Abyss” director to “Battle Angel Alita,” which Cameron ultimately produced a live-action version of in 2019.
Del Toro’s father was kidnapped and Cameron paid the ransom
However, the most spectacular anecdote from the life together of the two master directors is perhaps the kidnapping of Guillermo del Toro’s father in 1998. The gangsters demanded a ransom of one million dollars from the Mexican filmmaker, and Cameron immediately came to his friend’s aid. “When my father was kidnapped, he paid [Cameron] the negotiator because the situation was so desperate. He just took charge, talked to the hostage negotiator and did everything himself. He simply offered, “I’ll pay the ransom.” He is that kind of person, incredibly loyal and strong.”
Cameron also faced difficult situations during the filming of many of his films. You can read what the director did when chaos suddenly broke out on the “Titanic” set in the following article: