8 Things You Didn’t Know About Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro, a 58-year-old Mexican filmmaker and playwright, has given us innumerable films that may or may not provoke night terrors. Cabinet of Curiosities, a horror anthology that aired on Netflix on October 25, is his most recent endeavour.

If you enjoy his films and want to learn more about the man behind the camera, check out these previously unknown facts about him.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Guillermo del Toro

1. Started Experimenting With Camera At 8

Del Toro began experimenting with his father’s Super 8 camera when he was eight years old, making short films with Planet of the Apes toys and other stuff. One short had a “serial killer potato” who desired to dominate the entire world. ^[1]

2. His Grand Mother Exorcise Him

His parents frequently left him at her residence in Guadalajara, Mexico, because she was highly devout. Del Toro has always been fascinated by monsters, but his Catholic grandmother would have none of it. The way he was captivated by hideous legendary entities irritated her to no end. ^[2]

3. Bullied In His Childhood

Del Toro was a slim, “white-blonde” young man. He got into fistfights but couldn’t hold his own due to his weight. He couldn’t readily fight off the bullies, but one day he had had enough and learnt to protect himself.

4. Suffered From Illness Anxiety Disorder

There was no Google, but his father bought a health encyclopaedia, which Guillermo del Toro devoured, thinking he had one of the many ailments mentioned. Hypochondria, also known as disease anxiety condition

5. Self Taught Make Up Designer

He apprenticed with Oscar-winning makeup artist Dick Smith before launching his own company, Necropia. Smith was well-known for his roles in films such as The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, and Amadeus. He is known as “The Godfather of Make-Up” and was fully self-taught.

6. A Tragedy

His father was kidnapped. He doesn’t want to talk about it because he prefers to keep his personal life private, but he has addressed it a few occasions. Del Toro had to employ a skilled negotiator after receiving a call, for which he paid $250,000. ^[3]

7. The Bleak House

There’s no disputing that Guillermo del Toro enjoys his monsters, and his personal collection of all things macabre has become so large over the years that he has his own museum in his home, which he calls the Bleak House.

8. Co-founded The Guadalajara International Film Festival

Guillermo is one of the co-founders of the Guadalajara International Film Festival. Since 1986, the Guadalajara Film Festival has been held in March in the Mexican city of Guadalajara.