At just 27, Jacob Elordi has transformed his career playing popular culture’s most iconic characters — from the swagger of Elvis Presley to the tormented lover in Euphoria. Now, in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, he takes that transformation to its most literal extreme. Beneath hours of prosthetics and makeup, Elordi finds not just a creature, but a mirror to human fragility. In this conversation, he talks about losing himself in the role, learning to move like a monster, and why this might be his most human performance yet.
Did you have apprehensions at all about playing a role that required so many hours in prosthetics and makeup?
I didn’t. I think every actor wants to be able to completely immerse themselves in a character, and this was a chance to do that. I have played characters before that have challenged me to truly become something else, and this was just a physical version of that. But it’s funny because through all the hours in makeup to become a monster, I really feel like this is one of the more human characters I have played.
How did you come to be cast in such an iconic role?
It all happened so fast. I was working in Australia when I got a message to check my email. It was really late in the day, but they were insistent that I had to read the script and get back to them. It was long, but I read it, and of course, it was incredible. The next thing I know, I’m on FaceTime with Guillermo del Toro. Three weeks later, I was on set making the movie.
Frankenstein’s monster is an icon, of course. How did you go about creating your own version of the character?
Much of it was there in the script and the way Guillermo works with actors. But in those three weeks before shooting, I tried to put everything I had seen or knew about the character out of my head and build the character from scratch. I didn’t want to have a fixed idea. I really just let the character evolve.
How long was the makeup process?
The first time was about 10 hours, but we got it down to a little less than that each time. It was a long but necessary process, not just to capture the look but for me to get into the right mindset.
What else did you do to prepare for the role?
A lot. One thing I did was study a dance movement called Butoh. That really helped unlock the physicality of the role. And then Guillermo gave me books on children and baby development to really try to capture that aspect of the character and have it seem to happen organically. But I was lucky that so much work had been done by Guillermo and his team before I arrived.
What was the biggest challenge?
Being in that much makeup for so long was challenging. And also having to do physical scenes in what were very heavy costumes. That was tough.
You said that you feel you were always supposed to be in this film...
It comes from back when I was shooting Priscilla. A lot of the crew were going on to work on Frankenstein, and I really felt like I should be going with them because I have been a Guillermo fan forever. Usually, I just want to go home to Australia, but there was something about the movie that just made sense to me. I just feel so grateful, but without wanting to sound arrogant, I really do believe I was always supposed to be in this film.
In just a few years, you have played two iconic characters. How do you sum it all up?
I can’t. I never set out to play these huge characters. I just always wanted to work in the entertainment industry in some capacity or other. I got lucky!
Would you say you have developed a talent for playing troubled characters?
I don’t know if that’s true. I wouldn’t say I’m drawn to playing troubled characters. It’s more that I enjoy playing complex people.
Finally, what do you hope audiences take away from watching Frankenstein?
I hope they take away the message that every living being is unique and special. We are all constantly on both sides of the coin, good and bad, light and dark, lost and found. We all have the potential to be all of these things. That is the beauty of life.