Guillermo del Toro reveals how James Cameron stepped in when his father was kidnapped When Guillermo del Toro’s father was kidnapped, the first call from the kidnappers came with a terrifying ultimatum. “We want 3 million in three days, 5 million in five days, or we chop his head off.” His father was held for 72 days. And as the ordeal dragged on, Guillermo says even his ability to cope with the situation began to change. “First third of the kidnapping, I go and hide in a closet, cover my ears, cannot talk while they’re talking. Last third of the kidnapping, I negotiate.” “My beard comes off. I have no hair on my face. And my mother loses all her hair during the 72 days. All the hair. Eyebrows, hair, everything.” During the crisis, James Cameron stepped in. He paid for a professional negotiator and even offered to help rescue Guillermo’s father. “He said, ‘I’ll get him in a cage in a helicopter.’ I said, ‘Jim, I’ll go in with Navy SEALs.’” “Even although we were in tragedy, I said, ‘Look, I don’t want you to solve it. We have to solve it.’” The family struggled to access the money needed for the ransom. When they told the kidnappers they thought they could raise $100,000, the call ended. When the negotiator arrived, he warned them that revealing how much they could raise might have made things worse. “The negotiator says that same day, ‘It’s going to stay between 70 and 75 days, and you screwed up.’”