Guillermo del Toro’s illustrious career has finally been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Gracing the Oscar winner’s induction ceremony were the likes of J.J. Abrams and Lana Del Rey, who both spoke kind words about the filmmaker and his impact on the industry. Clifton Collins Jr., who starred in del Toro’s Pacific Rim, along with Councilman Mitch O’Farrall and the cast of his forthcoming adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and its director André Øvredal were also present during the ceremony.
Del Rey went up to the podium first, calling him “a man who is as kind as he is deep and as wise as he is fun.” The singer also read an excerpt written by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, relating it to del Toro’s talent and wisdom with The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth and Scary Stories. "In a culture of sameness, he’s completely himself, and that’s the greatest lesson I get from all of his tales," she said. "…I would like to say that it’s a beautiful thing to be reminded that being different is to be celebrated, and it’s a beautiful thing that we have [Guillermo] to always remind us of that each time we go back to [his] instantly classic films."
Abrams followed Del Rey’s speech with a story of how they first met in 1991 via the late special makeup effects master, Dick Smith. He reiterates how envious he was of del Toro’s "raw and gorgeous talent" 30 years ago and how he still feels that same way today. "[Guillermo is] a mind-bendingly brilliant creator, a multidisciplinary artist, a curator of the most remarkable collection of art, a man who celebrates otherness and tells stories of unlikely, unusual heroes with hearts almost as large as his own," Abrams gushed. "His creations are often wild and twisted, and sometimes terrifying, but this man I love — my only slightly older Mexican brother — this genius I admire, is one of the sweetest human beings you will ever meet."
As Del Toro was presented with a plaque, he touched on American politics and its controversial immigration battle. Proudly calling himself a Mexican and immigrant, he reminded everyone like him to band together. “Right now, we are in a moment of great fear. Great fear and great division because that’s why fear is used. It’s used to divide us. It’s used to tell us that we’re all different, that we shouldn’t trust each other," he explained. "These lies make us easier to control and make it easier to hate each other. But, the antidote to that is to come together, to realize that those divisions are complete fantasies.”
Watch the full induction ceremony above. Catch Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark in theaters starting August 9.
In other entertainment news, FX has renewed Donald Glover’s Atlanta for a fourth season.