Guillermo del Toro: “Thirty Years Ago, James Cameron and I Watched Anime Together; I Chose Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein After Seeing Priscilla”

According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Guillermo del Toro visited the KONBINI Video Club in France to promote his Netflix film Frankenstein, taking the opportunity to revisit some cinematic history.

In the interview, del Toro referred to James Cameron as his brother, saying they have shared a close friendship for nearly three decades:

“We used to watch anime together. He introduced me to Patlabor, and I introduced him to Gunnm [Battle Angel Alita].”

The Oscar-winning filmmaker added that he has watched all three Avatar films, including the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash:

“They’re pure masterpieces. I know where he’s going with the story, and I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people… I can’t say much about the third one except this: only a handful of Americans have ever created complete mythologies. We have [George] Lucas. We have The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. And Jim [Cameron] is doing the same with Avatar. It’s going to blow your mind.”

Del Toro recalled the U.S. ban on Ken Russell’s film The Devils:

“It was available on Apple TV for less than a day. Someone uploaded it by mistake—and I bought it three times, with three different accounts.”

He also revealed that he cast Jacob Elordi as the creature in Frankenstein after seeing his performance in Priscilla:

“His level of complexity as an actor, and how demanding he is of himself, make him one of the finest actors working today. He’s like a mix of Gary Cooper and Marlon Brando.”

At one point during the interview, del Toro picked up a disc of Laurel and Hardy’s Beau Hunks, kissed it, and said:

“I love Laurel and Hardy, but Stan Laurel is one of the very few people I deeply regret never meeting. He lived just a few streets away from me. I still have some of his letters—he wrote back to everyone. He always replied to his fans.”