Few characters in literature have seen as many book-to-screen adaptations as the monster from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. From the 1910 Edison Studios version to Universal Pictures' iconic 1930s take, the Creature has been a fixture of cinema for over a century. But when you think of the monster, “beautiful” probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind—until now. With Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming adaptation, Jacob Elordi shares the note the director gave him about the hours-long makeup process it would require for the 2025 movie schedule release.
Jacob Elordi opened up about playing the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s long-gestating gothic passion project while speaking with Empire. For the Oscar-winning director of The Shape of Water, Frankenstein is more than just horror, as it focuses on humanity. And, for the breakout actor, becoming the Creature wasn’t just a physical transformation, but a deeply personal one. Reflecting on the director’s guidance, he shared:
I couldn’t have asked for better make-up. You can really see the human being in it, but it’s also so shockingly beautiful… On our first phone call, Guillermo said, ‘It’s not a make-up process, it’s not hours in the chair. It’s your time to pass over into the creature.’ And I took that really seriously.
You can already sense that level of commitment radiating from the actor. This isn’t the classic nuts-and-bolts creature stitched together for screams. In the Mexican filmmaker’s hands, the monster is something more ethereal. He’s a beautiful, tragic, and human monster. The makeup might take hours to apply but, for the Euphoria alum, it was part of the performance. The transformation didn’t start when the camera rolled. It started in the chair.
The notion of leaning into the beautifully macabre makes perfect sense. If you’ve seen the best of Guillermo del Toro’s movies, you know he’s always had a soft spot for monsters. From Hellboy to the ghostly figures of Crimson Peak, the haunting faun in his astounding dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth, or the fish-man romance in The Shape of Water, his creatures are never just background. They feel pain, carry emotional weight and—most importantly—demand empathy. Del Toro's take on Frankenstein seems to be no different.
The story has clearly resonated with the filmmaker. He explained to Empire:
My own journey, as a human being, is of a prodigal father… Film is a very jealous profession with personal life. It takes you away, and it takes a toll. That toll weighed heavily on me as a human being, and I wanted to make the movie about that.
When it comes to Frankenstein, the genre master says he identifies with both roles, the reckless creator and the abandoned child. He continued:
It’s about seeing yourself as both a father and a son… I am a little bit of Victor. I’m a little bit of the Creature.
Aren’t we all? That’s what I love about the Oscar-winning filmmaker and the heart that runs through his body of work. Frankenstein won’t be just another monster movie—it’s shaping up to be a genre-bending story about loneliness, identity and being seen, both as a creation and a creator. If that’s not beauty, I don’t know what is.
It’s no wonder Jacob Elordi took the “passing over” note so seriously. Evidently, del Toro had given the transformation deep thought, wanting the Australian-born performer to have the space and intention to fully inhabit a creature defined by dark beauty and emotional complexity—hallmarks of del Toro’s films.
The upcoming Netflix release has been in the works for years, but it’s arriving at a perfect time. Between Elordi’s rising star and del Toro’s streak of emotionally charged creature features, this could be the most emotionally resonant adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel to date, and I cannot wait to catch it in theaters, as it hits theaters on October 17 and will be available with a Netflix subscription globally on November 7.
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