Halloween may still be creeping up, but Frankenstein actor Jacob Elordi is already giving fans a fright in the best way possible.
The Euphoria star, 28, transformed into Frankenstein’s legendary monster a.k.a. “The Creature” for Guillermo del Toro’s movie, sending a chill down spines in a shocking new photo that shows Elordi with a completely unrecognizable look for his latest role.
In the new portrait, Elordi’s skin appears pale and ashen, with deep, dark shadows around the eyes giving him a hollow and haunting stare. Realistic jagged scars run across his face — which has a somber expression — and his lips are colorless, adding to the eerie, gothic effect.
The actor’s costars Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer and Christoph Waltz were also seen in character, sporting Victorian-inspired outfits in images shared via the official Netflix Instagram account on Friday, October 24.
Elordi’s transformation, including his long, stringy hair, is certainly the most striking and highlights the craftsmanship of the skilled makeup team, who spent 10 hours each day getting him ready to film on the sets in Toronto, Canada and in Scotland.
“You throw time away when you make a film like this,” Elordi told Variety in August. “I didn’t do breakfast, lunch or dinner, or think in terms of morning, afternoon, night. It was just one time.”
Taking on this challenging role “changed me fundamentally — changed the way that I approach performance and the way that I watch movies,” Elordi continued.
Plus, his character goes through quite the metamorphosis internally and externally. “There’s so many different layers to the costume,” Elordi explained. “When he’s born, he’s wearing nearly nothing. His chest is open and his head is high. Then, as he starts to experience pain, as we do as a teenager, he starts to hunch his shoulders. And as an adult, he closes off.”
That sentiment is echoed in a review by The Hollywood Reporter, which noted, “The movie questions whether monstrousness is something defined by appearance or actions.”
In order to prepare for his scenes, the Saltburn star would practice his jaded walk and gestures in front of the mirror. Plus, he would sometimes show up on set at 10 p.m. the night before to get the process started, garnering praise from del Toro who said Elordi displayed the utmost professionalism.
“Never once did he come to me and complain,” del Toro, 61, added. “Never once did he come to me and say, ‘I’m tired. I’m hungry. Can I go?’ And he put in 20-hour days.”
Elordi won him over after Andrew Garfield dropped out of the project before shooting was set to begin in March 2024, citing scheduling conflicts.
At that point, del Toro had nine weeks to secure a new lead star. Not only did they have the same vision for the motivation behind the character, but Elordi had the X-factor he was looking for.
“Jacob’s eyes are so full of humanity,” del Toro said. “I cast him because of his eyes.”
Frankenstein is in select theaters now and will stream on Netflix November 7.
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