This is how Jacob Elordi did his makeup to become Frankenstein

Netflix has revealed an impressive video in time-lapse showing the meticulous transformation process of Jacob Elordi in the monster Frankensteinthe new film directed by Guillermo del Toro.

The sequence, which is already widely circulating on social networks, confirms that the magic of cinema is still alive in practical effects, moving away from the abuse of CGI to rescue the strength of artisanal work.

In the video, the Australian actor — known for his role in Euphoria— goes from being a young man with a bright face to a tragic and moving creature.

The metamorphosis, achieved thanks to hours of makeup, prosthetics and body sculpting, is so convincing that it renders the performer unrecognizable.

The work behind this transformation was carried out by renowned prosthetic artist Mike Hillwho collaborated closely with Del Toro to bring to life a creature that embodies the director’s vision.

For the Mexican filmmaker, the monster is not an abomination, but a victim of its own creator.

“We wanted to get away from the cliché of the zombie or the grotesque corpse. Guillermo insisted that everything had to feel real and tangible. If we had abused digital effects, the illusion would have been destroyed. This project required being practical and physical,” Hill commented in an interview with Variety.

The team also took care of minute details, such as maintaining Elordi’s original eyes, a resource that Guillermo del Toro considered essential to maintain the character’s humanity.

“If the face becomes too cartoonish, the look loses power. Therefore, the actor only used a brown contact lens to subtly modify one of his eyes,” Hill explained.

The result is a creature that, despite its heartbreaking appearance, retains an air of melancholy and dignity. Hill summarizes the intention behind the design: “Frankenstein is not building a monster, he is trying to build a man.”

The process was long and exhausting. Jacob Elordi had to endure sessions of more than ten hours a day in the makeup department, where 54 pieces of siliconeof which 42 covered the entire body and 14 corresponded to the head and neck.

In total, the team repeated the procedure about 50 times, which is equivalent to about 500 hours in the makeup chair.

Mike Hill explains that the design had to convey the idea of ​​an assembled body, made with human fragments taken from different places.

“We wanted that when you saw it, you knew immediately that it was a creation. We had to show that it had been designed and made, almost as if the skin had visible seams“, the artist explained to Elle.

But behind the physical appearance, Guillermo del Toro and he insisted on preserving the emotional essence of the character. “There is also a soul there, a living performance. We can see how Elordi loses his human features, but remains deeply moving”Hill highlighted.

On the tape, Oscar Isaac He plays Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the scientist obsessed with defeating death and who ends up facing the consequences of his ambition.

Guillermo del Toro has stated on several occasions that this version of Frankenstein It is one of his most personal and long-awaited projects.

Today, with the film available in Netflixher vision of the 1818 literary classic is realized through the combined talents of an all-star cast and technical team that has elevated the art of makeup to a form of visual poetry.