Guillermo del Toro: 'I Embrace Death ... I'm Eager for It to Come'

At the Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, known for his upcoming take on Frankenstein, spoke candidly about his fascination with death. Addressing an audience of festival-goers, journalists, and film students, del Toro questioned the pursuit of longevity: Why should you want to live longer? Im a big fan of death I think death is really good. Im certainly looking forward to it, because its the day you go, Well, tomorrow I wont have any problems.

During a nearly two-hour discussion moderated by his wife, screenwriter Kim Morgan, del Toro explored the Romantic poets influence on his work and recounted his 50-year journey to adapt Mary Shelleys classic story. He fondly remembered watching Boris Karloff as Frankensteins monster at age seven, describing the experience as transformative: That was religion. That was my church. I immediately felt that what my grandmother used to feel about Jesus, I now felt about Boris. And I saw myself in him.

At eleven, del Toro discovered a paperback edition of Frankenstein, reading it in a single sitting. Creating his own cinematic version, featuring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, fulfilled a lifelong dream. With the film completed, he admitted to experiencing a sense of postpartum depression.

Reflecting on the emotional scope of the film, del Toro commented, Im Mexican, so emotion is big for me. I think emotion is very scarce right now. We have come to a point in civilization when emotion seems to be something you hide We are in a horrible moment in which cynicism simulates intelligence. If you say, I believe in love, youre a fool. If you say, I dont believe in love, youre a wise man. I dont agree with any of that.

Del Toro, drawing inspiration from Romantic ideals, aimed for Frankenstein to carry the grandeur of an opera. The Romantics took a huge step toward the possibility of ridicule, he said, emphasizing that embracing vulnerability is essential to artistic success: You have to be completely open to failure if youre ever to experience success you have to be ready to be ridiculous. So Im ready to be ridiculous at all times.

Author: Noah Whitman