Most of us are familiar with Bravo TV's "Inside the Actor's Studio," hosted by James Lipton, in which a sea of aspiring actors and filmmakers get a chance to see their role models up close and personal.

But this time, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is changing up the game by sitting in the director's chair asking some thought-provoking questions to fellow filmmakers who are changing up the film industry -- and in Rodriguez's case the TV industry as well.

Rodriguez, the founder and chairman of the English-language network El Rey, sat down with Mexican director and longtime friend Guillermo del Toro for "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair," which will air Wednesday, July 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on El Rey Network.

Fresh off Comic-Con, where del Toro teased "Crimson Peak" (due out in theaters next year) and enticed the audience with the idea of a "Hellboy 3," he also shared his excitement for "The Book of Life," teaming up with animator/illustrator Jorge Gutierrez, 20th Century Fox and Reel FX to create the animated film, which hits theaters Oct. 17.

After his success with "Pacific Rim," "Pan's Labyrinth," "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots," del Toro still feels the rush of filmmaking as if he just began.

"To this day ... the most thrilled I've ever been about making movies is that first time," del Toro told Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is known for his films "From Dusk Till Dawn," "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, "Spy Kids" and "Desperado," and more recently his TV series, "From Dusk Till Dawn" and his partnership with Roberto Orci on "Matador," both on El Rey Network. He also launched a video-making contest to catapult the careers of aspiring filmmakers.

Oscar-nominated del Toro went into depth about his journey from artist to director and producer -- "from groundbreaking 'Pan's Labyrinth,' 'Hellboy,' 'Mimic' and 'Pacific Rim' to his new series, 'The Strain,' Del Toro reveals the madness behind his monsters."

"There needs to be a majesty and a beauty to the monster," del Toro told Rodriguez.

He also uncovered some of his past vulnerabilities and the lessons he's learned.

"I'm a terrible businessman. I never made any money from 'Pan's Labyrinth'. It made over a hundred something million. Nothing came to us, because we all went at it as almost like a little quest," he admitted.

"Rather than welding myself to the world, I thought if I could weld the world to understand what I want to do, then you're like a donkey, you're like a stubborn working animal and you keep going and going and going until one day you realize it's happening."

The magical film takes place in the fascist Spain of 1944 where "the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world."

"Pan's Labyrinth," del Toro told Rodriguez, "was the second most difficult shoot I've ever had -- almost as difficult as 'Mimic,' for very different reasons. But it was a movie where three or four times, very dear people, very reasonable people, people very close to me said 'Give up. You're a stubborn moron. Give it up. No one wants to make the movie."

"'Mimic' almost destroyed me....I went three years without being able to lift another movie off the ground."

Despite the rollercoaster of trials and tribulations, del Toro managed to forge ahead and power though to blockbuster success.

del Toro, who began "directing" when he was just 8 years old with his father's Super 8 camera and his toys from the 'Planet of the Apes' movies, shared one of his biggest inspirations for perfecting the craft of filmmaking in a recent Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything).

"The biggest thing to me, is a man whose work I have studied to the point of writing a book about him when I was 27, a book that was published in Spain & Mexico, a book on Alfred Hitchcock. The reason why he inspires me is because there was a very painful honesty that seeped into his movies about the way he saw the world as a dark and dangerous place. And he was very articulate about his craft, making it understandable for any beginner filmmaker, but more than what he said about his craft, the fact that the man, his personality, was in his films, because he was ultimately very unguarded about the darkness in him, that was the inspiration for me. I mean, I am who you see in my movies," he explained.

"I try to present the way I see the world in my movies sincerely and openly, and I am a very imperfect person, and I am a person with many, many bad traits, and I try not to talk about them, but the one trait I am very, very proud of is that I have never, to this day, at age 49, I have never undertaken a movie that I don't completely believe in. To the point where sometimes you sacrifice personal life, health, and most certainly time on this earth to create these little stories in the hopes that some people find them touching."

In August, Rodriguez will continue "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair," with Quentin Tarantino, who's known for "Kill Bill," "Pulp Fiction" and "Djano Unchained."

The Tarantino interviews will air in two installments (Vol. 1 premieres Wednesday, August 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT; Vol. 2 on Wednesday, August 27, 9 p.m. ET/PT).

The bold and daring filmmakers will discuss "Tarantino's film career through the lens of their 20-year friendship, using never-before-seen personal footage to discuss topics from screenwriting and camera placement to Spaghetti Westerns and Kung Fu."

Check out "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair," on Wednesday, July 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on El Rey Network.