Jacob Elordi Brought a Bit of Frankenstein’s Creature to Wuthering Heights

There’s a certain pathos that Jacob Elordi brings to complicated—some might say monstrous—men. See his cruel, tightly coiled Nate Jacobs in Euphoria or his volatile Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. But nowhere has it been more striking than in his performance as an actual monster, known as the Creature, at the center of Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Starring opposite Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth, the 28-year-old Australian heartthrob disappeared into the part, not only by spending hours in the hair and makeup chair but also by developing an entirely new physicality. To inhabit the Creature’s stitched-together body, Elordi trained in butoh, a form of Japanese dance-theater akin to “reanimating a corpse,” he says—or, in his case, his six-foot-five prosthetics-laden frame. The haunting performance earned him his first Critics’ Choice Award and a Golden Globe nomination, with Oscars buzz swirling. Up next: Elordi takes on the antihero Heathcliff, opposite Margot Robbie, in Emerald Fennell’s much-anticipated Wuthering Heights.

What was the inspiration behind the look for your character, the Creature, in Frankenstein?

The first reference that Guillermo del Toro sent me was a picture of Iggy Pop. It’s a classic photo—he looks a bit strung out. I had just played a POW in Justin Kurzel’s show The Narrow Road to the Deep North. I, luckily, in the mirror, looked similar to Iggy Pop.

Frankenstein was a long shoot.

It really was. I was living in a three-story gothic house in Toronto that had all these window seats. I would curl up in them and watch people walk by. My days were spent on set—I felt very secluded from the outside world. It’s not the kind of role where you can have lunch with your friends. If I saw people, I’m afraid it would’ve been like the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz—I think they would’ve spoken, and I would’ve melted in front of them.

Did you have trouble shaking the role after you finished filming?

The body design and the feeling that I had was so specific for about six months. Getting back into the world is always a task when you’ve been living in a circus state for so long. When I was shooting Wuthering Heights, there was a scene where my response to something was “Ugh,” which was from Frankenstein. It did take me a while to realize that I shouldn’t just gesture at things and grunt.

Which film makes you cry?

I watched Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, and there’s a moment when Kate Winslet’s character has an emotional realization. I was sitting there, eating ice cream, and then I just broke down with her character. I cried through that movie, just at the hopeless beauty of us all.

What is your go-to karaoke song?

“Walking in Memphis,” but not Cher’s version.

Because you want to channel your role as Elvis?

It’s the memory. I never actually walked in Memphis. It was during Covid, and I wasn’t allowed to jet off. But it was fun to be Sofia Coppola’s Elvis.

Are you more like a cat or a dog?

Dog feels like a safe answer. Cat feels like I’m endowing myself with great stillness and wisdom.

When you were young, who were your cinematic crushes?

I Dream of Jeannie. And then Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, in the film New York Minute. Both of them collectively. Also Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana. And Hilary Duff, when she’s in Italy in that one movie. There’s a frog in the fountain, and there was a boy on a moped. Whatever age I was when those came out, I remember that.

What’s your favorite reality show?

Is It Cake? The theme of the whole thing is that you just get presented different cakes. Then he asks, “Is it cake?” And you, as an audience, from an unfair distance, have to decide whether it’s cake or it’s not cake. There’s a lot of craftsmanship.

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Codirector: Frank Lebon. Director of photography: André Chemetoff. Grooming by Amy Komorowski; makeup by Lauren Parsons for Sisley Paris at Art Partner; manicure by Jolene Brodeur for Dazzle Dry at the Wall Group. Set design by David White at Streeters.