The Shape of Water director Guillermo del Toro recalls working with Harvey Weinstein as a 'horrible experience'

Los Angeles: Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says he felt his creative freedom was threatened while working with Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob. [caption id=“attachment_4342837” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Guillermo del Toro (left) and Harvey Weinstein (right). Facebook[/caption] He had unhappy experiences with the Weinsteins while working on Miramax-backed sci-fi movie Mimic, starring Mira Sorvino and Jeremy Northam. “The only time I have experienced bad behaviour, and it remains one of the worst experiences of my life, was in 1997, when I did Mimic for Miramax,” independent.co.uk quoted Del Toro as saying. “It was a horrible, horrible, horrible experience.” Del Toro has a very strong personal vision, and that is why it was such a struggle working with the Weinsteins on the 1997 film. “I was interfered with in plot, in casting, in the type of action. They second-guessed all the time. I never had a single day that was pleasant.” Del Toro added that this was not Harvey’s doing but that of his brother, Bob, who oversaw Miramax’s genre label, Dimension, reports independent.co.uk . In response to the gruelling experiences he endured on Mimic, Del Toro learned to shoot in a style that defies cutting and front-office interference. “I learned to make my camera more fluid, more a storytelling character; it really helped me develop the language that now I practice on The Shape Of Water. “It taught me to edit every day because I was always expecting to be fired. I’ll have a cut of the movie six days after wrap. I think adversity is good… that is very Catholic of me.” The Shape of Water is leading the 90th Academy Awards’ nomination pack with nods in a maximum of 13 categories. To be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 90th Oscars will be held on 4 March at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. It will be aired in India live on Star Movies and Star Movies Select on 5 March.