Twenty years ago, Guillermo del Toro's dark fantasy masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to a record-breaking 22-minute standing ovation. Now, as the film gets a 4K re-release, its star Ivana Baquero is opening up about the invaluable advice del Toro gave her when she was just 11 years old—advice that still guides her career today.
Baquero, who played the lead role of Ofelia, was originally cast after del Toro rewrote the part for her. In a recent interview at the Fantastic Pavilion in Cannes, she recalled the director's most important lesson: "He said that the most important thing an actor has to have... of course you need to prepare yourself, of course you need to study, but you need instinct. And he said, 'You have the instinct.'" That belief in her natural talent, she says, "made me believe in myself, to just follow my instinct, which is the most important thing, I think, as artists, that we can have and believe in."
To prepare her for the film's heavy themes—war, fascism, and sacrifice—del Toro gave Baquero a curated curriculum. She watched Grave of the Fireflies and read the manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. "He made sure that I knew about the world that I was about to dive into," she said. This preparation helped her navigate the emotionally demanding role, which blended fantasy with brutal reality.
Baquero's performance earned widespread acclaim, launching a career that includes films like The Anarchist's Wife and TV series such as The Shannara Chronicles and High Seas. She recently starred in the crime drama A Widow's Game and the series Spartacus: House of Ashur. Despite early roles in horror films like Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt and Fragile, she feels a deep connection to the genre. "I always say, I don't know if horror chose me, or I chose it because it's always been with me," she explained. "Most of the interesting scripts that come to me are horror movies. They're so universal, they can encompass so many different things."
For those who haven't seen it, Pan's Labyrinth is set during the Spanish Civil War and follows Ofelia, whose mother marries the brutal fascist Captain Vidal. Ofelia discovers a fantastical underworld where a faun believes she is a reincarnated princess. To reclaim her throne, she must complete three dangerous tasks, facing a giant frog and the terrifying Pale Man. The film won three Academy Awards and remains a touchstone of dark fantasy. It will be re-released in theaters this October.
Fans of del Toro's unique vision might also enjoy our list of Forgotten Gems: 7 Dark Fantasy Movies That Deserve More Love or check out The 2010s Gave Us Only 5 True Fantasy Masterpieces—Here They Are.
As Baquero continues to embrace horror and fantasy, she credits del Toro's early guidance for her enduring passion. "I can't shake it off in the best possible way," she said. With the 20th-anniversary re-release, a new generation will discover the film that made her a genre icon.
