He Was Born in Mexico City but Spent Time in Europe

Alejandro calls himself a "street kid" of Mexico but says a crucial moment in his life was when at 16 and 18 he left school to take trips in cargo ships. "I stayed in Europe for one year with $1,000, working everywhere I could, doing everything. Those years shaped me a lot and taught me the value of exploring different things," he told The Onion A.V. Club [3] in an interview.

He Was the Youngest Producer at Televisa

He is a man of many trades. While he got his start as a radio host, he went on to direct hundreds of commercials and produce shows for Televisa in the '90s, also composing music for six Mexican films.

Miguel Bosé Was in His First TV Short

Back when the Spanish singer was pursuing a career in acting, he starred in Alejandro's first short for Televisa [4]. The two are still close friends.

He Lied to Get Gael García Bernal as the Lead in Amores Perros

Alejandro cast newcomer and student Gael on his first directorial longform work, Amores Perros. Gael told The Guardian [5] that the director helped him produced a fake doctor's note so he could be excused from school to film the project. The pair worked together again in Babel.

He Is a Total Romantic

When talking to Esquire [6] about the moment he fell in love with his wife, Alejandro said:

"[I fell in love] the moment that I heard her name. Just the name. Only the name. When someone said: 'We're going to go to the cinema and there's a woman that's gonna come along, her name is María Eladia Hagerman,' I thought, What?! Wow, what a great name! It was such a weird name, because María Eladia is such an old Mexican name, and Hagerman sounded like Häagen-Dazs. So the combination of those two things. In that moment, I was in love. And then I saw her and I said: "Oh, my God, I am f*cked. She's mine."

He Has Directed 3 Films Written by Guillermo Arriaga

The collaborators worked together in Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel — the movies known as his death trilogy. The pair parted ways after tensions during the filming of Babel with Arriaga telling the Los Angeles Times [7]: "It had to come to an end, but I still respect him."

His 2007 Oscar Nomination For Best Director Was the First For a Mexican

He didn't win that year for Babel but did later for Birdman and is now up for a third award [8] for The Revenant.

He Is More Influenced by Music Than Movies

"Music tells more stories sometimes than films, with more possibilities," he told The Onion A.V. Club [9].

He's Only Done 2 Movies in Spanish

After Amores Perros, he concentrated on English-speaking movies with international potential, only going back to his native language for 2009's Beautiful, featuring Javier Bardem [10].

He Talked to Tim Burton Before Hiring Michael Keaton in Birdman

He wanted to know why Burton cast him as Batman [11].

He Gives Actors All the Credit For the Success of His Movies

He knows he has a reputation for making actors work hard [12] but says they are responsible [13] for the greatness of his films. Of The Revenant's Leonardo DiCaprio [14], he has said: "He’s insanely good in it, and without the collaboration, the way that he approached this as a partner, it could have been impossible."

Lots of Actors Owe Him Their Oscar Nominations

Naomi Watts [15], Benicio del Toro [16], Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi, Javier Bardem [17], Michael Keaton, Edward Norton [18], Emma Stone [19], Tom Hardy, and Leonardo DiCaprio [20] have all been nominated for films directed by Alejandro.

His Dad Gave Him Solid Advice About Fame

He has said his dad had a "difficult relationship with success," [21] adding: "He always told me, 'If you have success, taste it and spit it out immediately. Because it's poison.'"