Jacob Elordi’s monster makeover for ‘Frankenstein’

In this adaptation, the creature portrayed by Jacob Elordi is not a mindless monster stitched together from corpses but a being brimming with emotion, vulnerability, and longing. Del Toro, known for his ability to find beauty within the grotesque, has once again crafted a cinematic experience that redefines what it means to be human. The transformation of Elordi into this creature is not merely a feat of makeup and prosthetics but an artistic achievement that blends craftsmanship, performance, and thematic depth.

The physical transformation itself is a marvel of modern prosthetic artistry. Elordi underwent a grueling process each day, spending around ten hours in the makeup chair while artists carefully applied 42 individual prosthetic pieces, 14 of which were devoted solely to his head and neck. Every detail, from the texture of the creature’s skin to the seams where body parts are joined, contributes to the sense that this being has been pieced together from fragments of others’ lives. Yet rather than making the character repulsive, the design elicits empathy. The subtle asymmetries and visible scars speak not of horror but of survival. The creature’s body becomes a living symbol of pain, memory, and rebirth, echoing del Toro’s lifelong fascination with outsiders and the misunderstood.

However, it is Jacob Elordi’s performance that elevates this transformation from spectacle to soul. Beneath layers of prosthetics, Elordi conveys an astonishing range of emotion; innocence, confusion, rage, and an aching desire for connection. His creature moves with a hesitant grace, as if newly awakened to existence yet burdened by the knowledge of rejection. Elordi has spoken about finding inspiration in the movements of animals and the Japanese dance form Butoh to capture that raw, searching physicality. Through his body language alone, he makes the creature feel both alien and a mirror of humanity at its most fragile.

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein is a gothic drama that frames Mary Shelley's classic story as a tale of a deeply fractured father-son relationship and generational trauma, culminating in a journey of forgiveness. The movie follows a brilliant but egotistical scientist bring a monstrous creature to life in a daring experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

Del Toro’s Frankenstein ultimately challenges audiences to reconsider the idea of monstrosity itself. In Shelley’s original novel, the creature is intelligent, articulate, and sensitive, a tragic victim of society’s fear. Del Toro honors this complexity, using Elordi’s performance and the meticulous visual design to reveal a soul beneath the scars. What emerges is not a monster, but a reflection of humanity’s capacity for both creation and cruelty.