‘Fat fingers and feeling distraught’: Guillermo del Toro hit hard by the passing of ‘The Exorcist’ director William Friedkin

With the sad news of William Friedkin’s death, fellow horror maestro Guillermo Del Toro paid tribute to the acclaimed director via a short but sweet tweet.

Known to most as the director of the 1973 horror classic, The Exorcist, Willaim Friedkin had an impact on many future horror filmmakers and other creators. Friedkin sadly passed away at the age of 87 yesterday after 60 years of working in Hollywood.

One man heavily influenced by Friedkin is none other than Guillermo Del Toro, who’s directed numerous spooky classics such as Pan’s Labyrinth and the two good Hellboy films. Del Toro shared a heartfelt tweet clearly showing that the director’s death had affected him emotionally.

“Im not typing well. Fat fingers and feeling distraught.”

Clearly the death of Friedkin has hit Del Toro pretty hard, although he still managed to inject some self-deprecating humor into his tweet. His comment refers to a story about Friedkin that Del Toro shared on Twitter which contained a few typos. Although it’s a pretty heartwarming personal experience that he had with the legendary director so most fans probably weren’t even concerned about the errors.

“I had seen, at the ripe age of 58, that of th[e] many tools in Billy’s arsenal, kindness was one of the most effective ones.”

William Friedkin was known for having little patience which could put some actors on edge, however, the story shows how he could also be understanding and kind: “here we had a master – one loves by cast and crew, knowingly and wisely turning a checkmate into a victory solely with gentle empathy: he knew.”

Del Toro’s Twitter page has pretty much become a shrine to the late director since the news of his death was announced. He also posted a picture of himself on set with Friedkin right after news of his passing broke.

Fans of both directors expressed their own sadness at hearing about his passing, whilst others sent well wishes in the replies.

“Wishing you the best […] life is a fascinating and magical place and you are part of it! Thank you for being you”

“Do not be downhearted, your Monster Action Models will need some attention soon. Your Friend will always be loved in your many memories. We love you, too.”

“It’s been a hard few weeks for the art world. Stay strong, amigo.”

It seems that the Pinocchio director knew Friedkin better than most, he clearly had a great admiration for him and it shows in how Del Toro has chosen to celebrate the man’s life on his Twitter. He left a massive legacy behind and directors like Del Toro continue to carry the torch for future generations to come.