Feud Watch: James Cameron doesn’t think Frankenstein should qualify for an Oscar
Even though Guillermo del Toro used to live in his guest house
Last month, Guillermo del Toro gave an interview where he heaped praise on James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar: Fire & Ash, the third movie in the Canadian director’s Pandora trilogy, premiering December 19. “I’ve seen the three Avatars. They are absolute masterpieces,” the Mexico-born, Toronto-based director told Video Club. “I know where it’s going and I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people…. I can’t say anything about [the third movie] but I can say there are very few Americans that have created an entire mythology.”
Related: Catherine O’Hara, Guillermo del Toro and Idris Elba were honoured at the 2025 TIFF Tribute Awards
These are nice things to say about the work of any colleague—particularly a guy you are likely to face in this year’s Oscars race. But it’s not terribly surprising since Guillermo del Toro is, by all accounts, a nice guy. And what does he get in return?
Cameron also gave a recent interview, but instead of returning the compliment, he took the opportunity to trash del Toro’s partnership with Netflix. Speaking on the the super-buzzy podcast The Town, Cameron called out the streaming service for hastening the end of the cinema experience, adding that “powerful directors like Greta Gerwig and Guillermo del Toro jumping ship to Netflix aren’t just career moves—they can also be seen as statements, intentional or not, that the theatre model isn’t worth fighting for. It signals to studios and audiences alike that the big screen has lost its relevance.”
Cameron says that Netflix’s movies should not qualify for Oscar nominations based on their shorter-than-average theatrical releases. He thinks that they should have to spend one month screening at 2,000 theatres in order to qualify.
Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix, has called theatre-going an “outmoded” experience. However, Netflix has warmed to the idea of theatrical releases in recent years, probably so its productions can qualify for award nominations, which require films to spend a certain number of days on the big screen. That’s what happened with del Toro’s Frankenstein, an odds favourite for Oscar season that got a longer-than-planned theatrical release specifically to qualify in this year’s best picture race.
Del Toro commented on the theatre-versus-streamer debate in a recent interview with Variety. “The theatrical experience is very important. I believe in it,” he said. “But if the choice is between being able to make the movie and have portions of the release be theatrical and portions be streaming or not make the movie, that’s an easy decision to make.”
The best part of all of this? Cameron and del Toro are friends. Not just industry friends (my people will call your people) but actual close pals who first met at a pool party at Ron Perlman’s house. They’re so close that del Toro lived in Cameron’s guest house in the early 1990s. When del Toro’s father was kidnapped a few years later, Cameron hired a professional hostage negotiator and loaned del Toro the $1-million ransom. Could a bond that strong really break over Netflix?
Del Toro has not publicly responded to Cameron’s statement. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 22.
Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
