Alfonso Cuarón Orozco, born November 28, 1961, in Mexico City, always had his head in the clouds—wanted to be a director or maybe even an astronaut (because why not, right?). He finally got his first camera at twelve and instantly became that kid who’d shoot anything that moved, forcing everyone around to sit through his “screenings.” In his teens, he was sneaking out to the movies, telling his mom he was at a friend’s house. The dude was obsessed, trying to hit every cinema in the city. Right near his house, there were two big studios, so you know he was always lurking around them. After school, he aimed for film school at C.C.C. but got shot down since he was too young. His mom wasn’t thrilled about the whole movie thing, so he juggled philosophy classes in the morning and film studies in the afternoon at C.U.E.C. That’s where he met his crew—Luis Estrada, Carlos Marcovich, and Emmanuel Lubezki. They got into some drama with a short film in English (scandalous, apparently), and Cuarón ended up getting kicked out in '85. Life didn’t exactly go to plan after that. He worked at a museum to pay the bills, but then got a chance to work as a cable guy on a film, which basically saved him. From there, he worked his way up: assistant director gigs, second unit director, co-writing and directing TV episodes. Eventually, he and his brother wrote “Sólo con tu pareja,” and after a bunch of headaches, the film finally got made and became a big hit. Suddenly, Hollywood was calling, and though the first project fizzled, he landed in LA, broke but determined—soon getting his first US directing job. And that’s how he broke in.
Back at the 2014 Golden Globes, Alfonso Cuarón picked up the Best Director trophy for Gravity and, honestly, the guy nearly stole the show with his speech. He started off all humble, apologizing for his “bad English.” But the real kicker? He told this hilarious story about how, during filming, his accent got him into some trouble with Sandra Bullock. Apparently, he tried to tell her, “I’m going to give you an earpiece,” but it came out sounding like “I’m going to give you herpes.” Total disaster, right? Everyone cracked up, including Sandra. Cuarón’s accent, nerves, and genuine embarrassment just made him even more lovable. That moment became one of the most memorable Golden Globe speeches, proving even Oscar-winning directors can mess up their words and turn it into comedy gold. Honestly, if you didn’t love him already, that moment probably sealed the deal.
refrencennSo, there’s this Aussie dude wandering around India, right? You’d think he’d be out there soaking up the chaos, eating street food that might kill him, getting lost in the crowds, maybe even finding his own spiritual awakening or whatever. But nah, he ends up just hanging out with a bunch of other Australians. Like, seriously? Why bother flying all the way to the other side of the planet just to recreate your local pub but with more cows and spicier food? The whole point of traveling is to get uncomfortable, meet weird new people, and maybe pick up a bit of the local lingo (or at least try). Instead, these guys are clinging to what they already know, missing out on the whole adventure. It’s kind of hilarious but also a little sad—imagine flying thousands of miles just to stay exactly the same.
November 28, 1961
6′ (1.83 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Yes, Bu Cuaron
Alfredo Cuaron and Surekha
63 years old