Doug Jones has defended Guillermo del Toro following accusations he plagiarised another filmmaker.
The critically-acclaimed director is currently under fire from ‘Amelie’ filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet after he claimed del Toro copied a scene from one his 1991 fantasy/crime movie ‘Delicatessen’.
But now, Jones – who has collaborated with del Toro on a number of movies including ‘Hellboy’ and Academy Award-nominated ‘The Shape of Water’ – has defended the filmmaker saying he would never "copy anyone else’s work".
Speaking to TMZ, Jones said: "I know nothing about any of that.
"What I do know is Guillermo del Toro would never copy anyone else’s work. I do know Guillermo and he would never have done that."
Jeunet made the accusations to the French newspaper Ouest France and admitted he isn’t angry with del Toro but disappointed as he thinks he has "a lot of talent".
He said: "I told [del Toro] ‘you have a lot of imagination, a lot of talent. Why go and [steal] the ideas of others?’
"[Del Toro] said, ‘we owe Terry Gilliam everything.’ According to [del Toro], he does not steal from others, it is Terry Gilliam who has influenced us all.
"When he [directs] the scene of the couple sitting on the edge of the bed dancing with their feet, with the musical in the background on TV, it is so copied and pasted [from] ‘Delicatessen’ that there is a moment when I say to myself that he lacks self-respect.
"Guillermo has enough talent not to do that. It is obvious that he had ‘Delicatessen’ in mind [when he filmed that scene]."
Del Toro is currently receiving critical acclaim for his latest gothic love story – which has been nominated for 13 Academy Awards this year – which stars Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins and Jones.
Doug Jones defends Guillermo del Toro following plagiarism allegations
