{"id":163196,"date":"2018-02-13T12:24:58","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T11:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/berlin030.de\/?p=163196"},"modified":"2018-02-13T12:24:58","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T11:24:58","slug":"guillermo-del-toro-ich-moechte-mitgefuehl-mit-dem-monster-haben","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/berlin030.de\/en\/2018\/02\/13\/guillermo-del-toro-ich-moechte-mitgefuehl-mit-dem-monster-haben\/","title":{"rendered":"Guillermo Del Toro: \u201cI Want to Feel Compassion for the Monster.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guillermo Del Toro won the Critics\u2019 Prize at Cannes and nine Mexican film awards in 1993 for his debut \u201cCronos\u201d. Four years later, he made his Hollywood debut with the horror film \u201cMimic\u201d. Following the comic adaptations \u201cBlade II\u201d and \u201cHellboy\u201d, his enchanting fantasy spectacle \u201cPan\u2019s Labyrinth\u201d received six Oscar nominations, including one for Del Toro\u2019s screenplay. <\/strong><\/p>\n

With \u201cThe Shape of Water\u201d, the poetic love story between a cleaning lady and an amphibious creature, the Mexican director was awarded the Golden Lion in Venice and, with 13 Oscar nominations, is considered one of the hot favourites at the Academy Awards. [030] staff member Dieter O\u00dfwald spoke with the director.<\/p>\n

Se\u00f1or Del Toro, how difficult is it to convince Hollywood to back such a poetic project?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Del Toro<\/strong>: I had developed the project with my own money over three years. I then offered the concept to just one studio, Fox Searchlight, with whom I\u2019d had good experiences before. By the end of my pitch, everyone was in tears, which almost made me lose my voice. It\u2019s a myth that Hollywood is only run by businessmen. If you have a moving story and convey it properly, you\u2019ll find support.<\/p>\n

Were there no concerns about the age rating?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Del Toro<\/strong>: Not at all. I said from the start: Sally Hawkins masturbates. There are sex scenes between her and the creature. It was clear from the outset this was going to be an R-rated film\u2014which was accepted without fuss.<\/p>\n

How significant is \u201cThe Shape of Water\u201d for your career?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Del Toro<\/strong>: I simply had to make this project. All of my previous nine films had something to do with my childhood. Now I\u2019m 53, so it was high time to finally make an adult film. It\u2019s a film about love, which for me means loving your partner as they are. Without any expectation of perfection, without wanting to change them.<\/p>\n

\"Shape.
Artwork: \u00a9 Twentieth Century Fox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What meaning does the titular water have as a metaphor?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Del Toro<\/strong>: Water always takes the shape it finds itself in. As gentle as it can be, it\u2019s also the strongest and most malleable force in the universe. Isn\u2019t it the same for love? Love can take every form, whether it\u2019s for a man, a woman, or a creature. I like films that are liberating and say: It\u2019s good to be who you are.<\/p>\n

You once said that monsters fascinated you even as a child. How does that influence this film?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Del Toro<\/strong>: In fairy tales, there are two variants. One says: monsters are evil, your parents are good. That\u2019s why you should always follow their instructions. The other says: forget the rules, just be mad. The same goes for horror films. Some warn of monsters because all that is foreign is always dangerous. Others argue that the so-called idyllic family world isn\u2019t as rosy as it appears. I\u2019ve always preferred this second variant. I want to feel compassion for the monster. When I first saw Boris Karloff in \u201cFrankenstein\u201d, he was like the Messiah to me. From then on, monsters have had my absolute sympathy. They are just what they are. You can understand them perfectly\u2014in contrast to humans, behind whose charming masks there are often abysses.<\/p>\n

How do you get the ideas for your fantastic worlds? Do dreams give you inspiration?\u00a0 <\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Del Toro<\/strong>: Sleep is horrible for me. I only know of a single dream, but it\u2019s haunted me since childhood: I can breathe underwater. My ideas arise from my inability to be bored. I\u2019m always thinking. When I\u2019m sitting in a restaurant and spot a red stain on the tablecloth next to me, I immediately concoct a murder scenario. That\u2019s why my youngest daughter is never allowed to come home late! If she\u2019s ten minutes overdue, I\u2019ve already imagined the entire kidnapping and am waiting for the kidnappers\u2019 call. (Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n

What role does the political aspect play? Are there parallels between the Cold War back then and today\u2019s America?<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Del Toro<\/strong>: Early 1960s America was idealised as a land of fantasy and fairy tales. Today\u2019s \u201cMake America great again\u201d dreams exactly of that America. A great country if you\u2019re white, male and heterosexual. But for everyone else, there\u2019s no place. Setting the story in the 60s seemed much more effective to me than telling it in our time. A fairy tale holds much more magic than a current political drama.<\/p>\n