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How Jacob Elordi Transformed for Frankenstein With 42 Prosthetics

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How Jacob Elordi Transformed for Frankenstein With 42 Prosthetics

How Jacob Elordi Transformed for ‘Frankenstein’ With 42 Prosthetics (Exclusive)

For his new movie, Jacob Elordi was brought to life with a lot of help from prosthetics.

Playing the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming adaptation of Frankenstein was no easy task—especially as Guillermo revealed how long Jacob spent getting in character. 

“He took around 10 hours every day,” Guillermo exclusively told E! News’ Francesca Amiker at the Oct. 6 Los Angeles premiere of the film, “and about 42 pieces of makeup, prosthetics. And then he would have to work.”

The Oscar winner was incredibly impressed by how Jacob handled everything, saying, “He did it all with grace and patience and love.”

“I told him, ‘Look, it’s like when a priest is getting dressed, there are many layers to the robes and the ceremonial guard. You have to think, this is your Ceremonial Guard. You’re invoking the Creature,’” Guillermo added. “And the result is heartbreaking and beautiful. It’s a really naked performance—emotionally so close to innocence that it breaks your heart.”

But makeup wasn’t the only way Jacob transformed into Frankenstein’s creation. He also took Japanese butoh dance classes and dove into the Book of Job from the Bible.

The 28-year-old’s commitment to the part didn’t go unnoticed by costar Oscar Isaac, who plays the titular Dr. Victor Frankenstein.

Variety/Variety via Getty Images

“He’s so put together,” the 46-year-old shared with E!. “He was so effortless. He never complained. He was in 10 hours of makeup every day.”

Oscar added, “The fact that he would just show up and was so beautiful and vulnerable and vulnerable and open, I was so impressed with him.”

Jacob—who also stars alongside Mia Goth, Charles Dance and Christoph Waltz—took over the role of Frankenstein’s Creature after Andrew Garfield dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, and as Guillermo previously gushed, Jacob was the “perfect actor” for the Creature.

“We have a supernaturally good connection,” the director told Vanity Fair in July. “It’s like, very few words. Very few things I have to say, and he does it.”

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

And while Jacob is the latest in a long line of stars to play Frankenstein’s monster, joining the likes of Boris Karloff, Robert De Niro and Benedict Cumberbatch, the Euphoria star originally wasn’t sure if he should revisit those performances for inspiration before filming began.

“At first I thought, ‘I’ll stay away from this. I want to do my own thing,'” he confessed. “And then I asked Guillermo, ‘Should I watch the other Frankensteins?’ And he goes, ‘What the f–k do you mean?’”

When Jacob shared that he didn’t want to be “influenced” by the other films, Guillermo was quick to assure him that his performance would be his own.

“He says, ‘My friend, it’s a movie, it can’t f–king hurt you,’” Jacob recalled. “I went home, and I just binged them.”

Frankenstein hits select theaters Oct. 17 before being available on Netflix beginning Nov. 7.

For more stars with incredible onscreen transformations, keep reading.

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Christian Bale, American Hustle & Vice

The British actor packed on more than 40 pounds for his Oscar-nominated performance as a beer-bellied con artist in 2013’s American Hustle. He put on the same amount to play former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2018 movie Vice, which also earned him an Oscar nomination.

For his 2019 movie Ford v Ferrari, Bale dropped dropped 70 pounds to play slender race car driver Ken Miles. And it wasn’t his first time losing weight for a role, having also lost about 30 pounds while filming the 2011 film The Fighter.

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Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

To transform the actress into her role of real life Appalachian grandmother Mamaw Vance in the 2020 film, makeup and special effects artist Matthew Mungle pulled Close’s head cast from 2011’s Albert Nobbs and sculpted her a new set of false ears and a false nose, according to Variety. The actress received an Oscar nomination for her role.

Profile Productions/Tailored Films; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

For his role as Donald Trump, not only did the actor work with the same hairstylist and makeup artists who transformed him into Tommy Lee for 2022’s Pam & Tommy, but he also packed on the pounds to fill out the reality star-turned-president’s frame.

Stan said he gained around 15 pounds by eating instant ramen mixed with soy sauce—a dish recommended by his nutritionist to look bloated in the face—and drinking soda.

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Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday

The actress lost almost 40 pounds to play the iconic jazz singer in the 2021 film, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures; Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Was eating, as his onscreen wife Emily Blunt joked “like, an almond every day,” a bit nutty? Sure. But the Irish star really wanted to nail atomic bomb scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer‘s appearance.

“Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right,” he explained to The New York Times. “I had to lose quite a bit of weight, and we worked with the costume and tailoring; he was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes.”

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Charlize Theron, Monster

At the 2004 Academy Awards, the gorgeous A-lister was honored with a Best Actress win for her chilling portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos

Jerritt Clark/WireImage; DC Comics/Warner Bros./Shutterstock

Joaquin Phoenix, The Joker

The actor lost 52 pounds to play the deeply disturbed Arthur Fleck, the man who would become Batman’s adversary. The won the Best Actor Oscar in 2020 for his performance. 

Clive Coote/Paramount/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock; Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Nicole Kidman, The Hours

It took three hours (and an infamously large prosthetic nose) for makeup artists to render the Best Actress winner completely unrecognizable for the 2002 drama. 

Snap/Shutterstock; TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Tom Hanks, Philadelphia

The actor shed 35 pounds and shaved his head to play an HIV-stricken attorney suing his former firm for wrongful termination. Hanks took home Best Actor at the 1994 Oscars, and made a similar transformation for his Oscar-nominated performance in 2000’s Cast Away

Todd Williamson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; BBC Films/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

Renee Zellwegger, Judy

The actress, who famously gained a reported 17 pounds to play the title role in Bridget Jones’s Diary, did not have to change her physique to transform into Judy Garland for the 2019 film Judy, for which she won her first Oscar. You can thank the makeup and costume department for her transformation.

“Renée was extremely emotionally and artistically involved in Judy, the movie’s costume designer, Jany Temime, who also worked on the Harry Potter films, told Vulture. “It was her film. I think she really got into Judy’s skin.”

Zellweger told the outlet, “Jany fit the costumes to Judy’s posture. So the dresses didn’t fit me unless I stood like I was supposed to stand. The zipper wouldn’t go up.”

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Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Quite a departure from Robbie’s sultry character in The Wolf of Wall Street, several prosthetics, braces and wigs helped the Best Actress nominee bring disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding‘s career-ending scandal to life in the 2017 flick. 

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Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

The Academy recognized McConaughey’s extreme commitment to playing an HIV/AIDS stricken electrician with a Best Actor win during the 2014 ceremony. 

Ash Knotek/Snappers/ZUMAPRESS.com; Moviestore/Shutterstock

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

The late actor received a posthumous Oscar in 2008 for his chilling and mesmerizing performance as The Joker in the second film in Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy. His look as the iconic villain differed greatly from those previously seen on past actors onscreen.

“What would it be if this guy slept in his makeup, this psychopath?” makeup artist John Caglione Jr. told IGN. “If he didn’t spruce up his makeup for two or three weeks? He never changes his clothes It’s those kinds of organic details that really helped.”

He continued, “You think of a clown’s makeup and for the most part, they’re pretty detailed with sharp lines. But this had to be the opposite of that.”

Bill Matlock/Fox Searchlight/Kobal/Shutterstock; SGranitz/WireImage; Merie W Wallace/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock

Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry & Million Dollar Baby

The two-time Oscar winner dramatically altered her appearance to play real-life transgender man Brandon Teena in the 1999 drama, and then again in Clint Eastwood‘s 2004 Best Picture winner.

Moviestore/Shutterstock; Kurt Krieger/Corbis via Getty Images

Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

In order to play British prime minister Winston Churchill, the 2018 Best Actor nominee spent upwards of four hours in the makeup chair every day and wore a “Victorian corset” style bodysuit. 

Fox Searchlight/Kobal/Shutterstock; Luca Teuchmann/WireImage

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Before taking home Best Actress at the 2011 Oscars, the petite actress shed 20 pounds and trained up to 16 hours a day for her role as a mentally ill ballerina. 

Anne Marie Fox/Voltage/Kobal/Shutterstock; Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Ever the chameleon, the 2014 Best Supporting Actor winner prepared to play a HIV-positive transgender woman by losing 40 pounds and only staying in character on set. 

“I had done similar things with weight, but this was different,” Leto told E! News in 2013. “I think the role demanded that commitment…It was about how does that effect how I walk, how I talked, who I am, how I feel. You know, you feel very fragile and delicate and unsafe.”

Moviestore/Shutterstock; Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Brie Larson, Room

The Best Actress winner gained 15 pounds of muscle to play a mother who escapes years of captivity with her 5-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) in the 2015 film. Larson said she even limited her exposure to the outside world, restricted nutrients like Vitamin D and tailored her eating habits to better grasp what her character experienced. 

Moviestore/Shutterstock; George Pimentel/WireImage

Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

At the 2012 Academy Awards, the typically fresh-faced starlet was honored with a Best Actress nomination for her performance in the thriller. Mara went as far as to pierce multiple body parts, bleach her eyebrows and chop her hair to transform into Lisbeth Salander.

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How Jacob Elordi Transformed for Frankenstein With 42 Prosthetics

The Intense Transformation Process for Frankenstein’s Creature

Jacob Elordi’s transformation into the iconic Frankenstein’s Creature for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (upcoming on Netflix) is a masterclass in makeup artistry and prosthetic design. To bring this legendary monster to life authentically, Elordi endured an exhaustive three to four hours of makeup and prosthetic application daily, involving 42 individual prosthetic pieces.

The process began with a meticulous application by a dedicated team of special effects artists, who sculpted and fitted each prosthetic perfectly onto Elordi’s face and body. Thes prosthetics created the signature stitched-together, patchwork look of Frankenstein’s monster that fans have come to expect – a complex blend of horror and beauty that required precision and commitment.

Why 42 Prosthetics?

The reason for the large number of prosthetics is due to the need to achieve a seamless, lifelike appearance that still honors the classic monster design. Each piece served a specific purpose:

  • Facial structure enhancements to contour and exaggerate features
  • Various scars and stitch details to simulate the creature’s “assembled” look
  • Texture elements replicating aged and damaged skin
  • Neck and torso prosthetics extending the transformation beyond just the face

Step-by-Step Makeup Application

The makeup and prosthetic process can be broken down into the following steps:

  • Skin preparation: Cleansing and priming Elordi’s skin for adhesive application.
  • Prosthetic fitting: Applying each of the 42 prosthetic pieces using medical-grade adhesives.
  • Painting and detailing: Hand-painting each prosthetic to add realistic skin tones, scars, and veins.
  • Blending edges: Using makeup to blend the prosthetic edges into Elordi’s natural skin seamlessly.
  • Final touches: Adding any contact lenses, hair pieces, or additional costume elements.

The Challenges faced by Jacob Elordi

Enduring four hours or more stuck in the makeup chair was only one part of the challenge for Jacob Elordi. wearing extensive prosthetics can be physically taxing and involves several challenges:

  • Restricted movement: Prosthetics can limit facial expressions and body mobility, requiring Elordi to adjust his acting approach.
  • Heat and discomfort: Heavy prosthetics and makeup under set lighting can create heat and discomfort during long shoots.
  • delicate maintenance: Maintaining prosthetics without damage throughout filming scenes demands caution and frequent touch-ups.

Behind the Scenes: Prosthetic Artists & Technology

The unusual result owes much to the team behind the makeup department. Their use of cutting-edge prosthetic materials and layering techniques pushed the boundaries of realistic creature design.Key materials and methods included:

  • Silicone prosthetics: Offering flexibility and lifelike texture while being lightweight.
  • Foam latex: Used in areas needing more volume and stretch.
  • airbrushing: Enhancing color gradients and skin details.

Table: Key Components of the Prosthetic Design

Component Purpose Material
Facial Structure Plates Alter bone structure appearance Silicone
Scar & Stitch Pads Simulate iconic Frankenstein scars foam Latex
Neck Extensions Creature’s unnatural neck shape Silicone & Latex
Texturing Prosthetics Skin texture and aged effect Foam Latex

Jacob elordi’s First-Hand Experience

Jacob Elordi has expressed admiration for the transformative power of prosthetics in telling the story of frankenstein’s Creature. Despite the physical demands, he embraced the role fully, noting that the extensive makeup process helped him embody the character more deeply.

Elordi said,”It’s a lot to sit through every day,but it’s worth it for the transformation. These prosthetics don’t just change how you look-they change how you feel. It helped me get inside the creature’s skin,literally and figuratively.”

Benefits of Using Extensive Prosthetics in Film

  • Enhanced realism: Practical effects like prosthetics create a tangible, authentic look on camera that CGI frequently enough lacks.
  • Actor immersion: Actors report deeper connection with their character when physically transformed.
  • Audience engagement: Intricate makeup draws viewers further into the story’s world.

Practical Tips for Handling Large-scale Prosthetic Makeup

  • Patience is key: Both actors and artists must be prepared for long preparation times.
  • Hydration and skin care: Actors should maintain good skin care to withstand heavy makeup days.
  • Frequent breaks: Plan shooting schedules to allow rest and reduce discomfort.
  • Team interaction: Clear coordination between makeup artists, directors, and actors ensures smooth workflow.

Final Visual Showcase

Netflix recently released a full look image poster showing Jacob elordi as Frankenstein’s Creature, revealing the breathtaking detail achieved through these 42 prosthetics. The poster highlights the patchwork skin, sunken eyes, and hauntingly beautiful depiction of this legendary monster, sparking excitement among fans and moviegoers alike.

For viewers and filmmakers,this transformation is a shining example of how dedication to practical effects and prosthetic artistry continues to elevate storytelling in modern cinema.

Sources: NBC Chicago, ComingSoon.net, Yahoo Entertainment[[2]] [[3]] [[1]]

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