Guillermo del Toro Once Shared an Apartment With James Cameron — and Anime Was Their Thing

Guillermo del Toro and James Cameron, two of the biggest names in filmmaking, once shared more than just a passion for movies, they actually lived together. During that time, the two directors bonded over late-night anime sessions, swapping shows and talking about stories that would later inspire their own work.

This surprising bit of film history came to light when Guillermo del Toro spoke about it on the ReelBlend podcast.

He shared that he and Cameron became friends more than 30 years ago. “We have been friends since 1992, 30 years ago,” del Toro said. “We first crossed paths during a barbecue at Ron Perlman’s residence. At that time, I had completed production on ‘Cronos’, while he was finishing ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day.’”

Their friendship grew quickly. Both were young directors with huge dreams, and soon they ended up sharing a home for a while.

What made their time together special wasn’t just their talks about film, it was their shared love for anime. More recently, Del Toro stated: “We would watch anime together,” del Toro recalled. “He introduced me to ‘Patlabor’, I introduced him to ‘Gunnm.’”

It’s easy to picture the two of them, long before Titanic or Pan’s Labyrinth, sitting side by side in front of a small TV, watching futuristic stories from Japan. That mix of imagination and emotion clearly struck a chord with both of them. Looking at their later work, it’s not hard to see traces of those anime nights, Cameron’s worlds full of machines and human emotion, and del Toro’s stories blending fantasy and heart.

Even after all these years, their friendship remains strong. Del Toro often talks about how loyal Cameron is, recalling how he stood by him during one of the hardest moments of his life. That mix of loyalty, creativity, and shared curiosity seems to define their bond.

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