Guillermo del Toro has often delved into stories that feature monsters, but his latest venture The Shape of Water tries for something unusual with its creature creation. In fact, The Shape of Water is noted for its love story between a human woman and a river monster, and del Toro even shot a love scene between the two characters that has been a key moment in promos for the film. It's not that easy to sell a human and monster romance to an audience, and Jimmy Kimmel recently asked Guillermo del Toro whether or not he was worried about the love scene being completely ridiculous and the director has an intriguing answer...
Always. Every day, but you know failure and success live next door to each other and they have no numbers on the door. You just knock. The thing that is the most sublime is the thing that can be the most ridiculous. Always. So you're risking it.
There are actually quite a few things that Guillermo del Toro risks in The Shape of Water beyond the creature and human romance story. The interview also touches on the fact that the main characters don't speak to one another, meaning the love story has to transcend beyond dialogue. We previously learned that at first Guillermo del Toro was considering making the movie in black and white, which would have been another hurdle, at least in terms of selling the movie to a general audience. However, the director seems to be saying that he just has to trust his instincts and move forward and take a chance with his ideas, even if they are risky. Or in the case of why the movie is in color, the occasional sacrifice to keep the studio on board is necessary, too.
When pressed further by Jimmy Kimmel during the The Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview, Guillermo del Toro talked a little about his craft, and what he thinks about when he is about to make a choice with filmmaking that may be a risk, noting,
I've been doing this for 25 years, you bring your craft. It's a little bit like with humor. You know, the joke or the tragedy exist side-by-side. You bring your craft, you bring your experience and you think, 'What am I going to do to ensure that it's gorgeous, beautiful, poetic, magical?' Then, sometimes you're right and sometimes you're not.
In the case of The Shape of Water, early reviews for the film have been overwhelmingly positive. The film is currently running at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and has even earned some Golden Globes nods. So the critical sphere is certainly paying attention. Now, we'll have to wait and see if this can translate into good box office numbers, as well.
You can see The Shape of Water when it hits theaters on December 22, or check out our full schedule of upcoming movies, now.
