Playing Frankenstein's monster 'a monumental moment' for Jacob Elordi

Jacob Elordi’s evolution from teenage heartthrob to serious actor continues.

- Alison de Souza

The Australian performer scored his breakout role playing the uncomplicated romantic lead in The Kissing Booth, a comedy franchise (2018 to 2021).

But he showed he could do more in the edgy teen drama Euphoria (2019 to present), which casts him as a toxic high schooler racked with insecurity.

Now, the 28-year-old is getting Oscar buzz for what is his most transformative and high-profile role yet — playing the monster in Frankenstein, Oscar-winning writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s acclaimed adaptation of the 1818 Gothic horror classic by English author Mary Shelley.

Currently the most-watched film on Netflix, it costars American actor Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, a surgeon who takes body parts from corpses and turns them into The Creature.

Portraying the iconic character meant so much to Elordi, he cried the first time he saw himself on screen, his face and body hidden beneath thick layers of prosthetics.

For that metamorphosis, the actor says he had to spend four to 10 hours a day in the makeup chair.