Frankenstein is in first place on Netflix’s Top 10 and gaining great attention from the public. But behind the production there is a detail that is surprising even those who closely follow the careers of those involved. Originally, the person who would play the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s film would be Andrew Garfield, the eternal Peter Parker from the Amazing Spider-Man era. The exchange took place nine weeks before filming began, in one of the most tense behind-the-scenes scenes of the director’s career.
Guillermo del Toro revealed to Vanity Fair that he spent nine months developing the Creature’s look for Garfield, alongside effects and makeup artist Mike Hill, responsible for The Shape of Water. However, when recording finally needed to begin, the former Spider-Man had to abandon the film due to scheduling conflicts caused by the stoppage of the writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023.
According to the director, this put the film in a critical situation. Del Toro told the magazine: “We recast and had nine weeks (to find the perfect look). There’s no greater pressure than that.”
The choice of Jacob Elordi was explained by del Toro in an interview with Empire Magazine. The filmmaker stated that he chooses actors based on their eyes: “I choose based on their eyes. I always look at the actor’s eyes and think: ‘Can he convey this emotion to me?’ I knew immediately from Jacob’s eyes that they could show innocence.”
Jacob Elordi, in turn, told Empire that he had wanted to be part of the film since he found out that del Toro was preparing Frankenstein. According to the actor, when he received the call from the agency, he reacted with shock and humor: “I said, ‘Are you kidding me’. I thought I was supposed to play a tree or a horse. So I asked, ‘Are you supposed to play the Creature?'”
Jacob Elordi in a scene from Frankenstein
(Photo: Disclosure/Netflix)
Makeup artist Mike Hill explained to Vanity Fair why Elordi ended up being the perfect choice: “He’s everything in one. What attracted me to him was his slender frame and his wrists. His manner is innocent, but he’s wrapped in a 6’1″ frame.”
Andrew Garfield also commented on the departure, telling Deadline that he was disappointed, but understood the outcome: “Meeting Jacob was real luck, because I could see and hear that maybe he needed this experience more than I did.”
Today, with Frankenstein leading Netflix, it’s clear that the casting change wasn’t just circumstantial — it changed the film. Elordi’s Creature carries a physical and emotional vulnerability that became the center of the film’s impact.
If Garfield had remained, the Creature might have been more introspective and restrained. With Elordi, the character gains a brutal, almost childish innocence, which makes his tragedy even more painful. And that is precisely what is winning over the public now. Frankenstein reached 85% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences reached 95%.
André Itamara Vila Neto é um blogueiro apaixonado por guias de viagem e criador do Road Trips for the Rockstars . Apaixonado por explorar tesouros escondidos e rotas cênicas ao redor do mundo, André compartilha guias de viagem detalhados, dicas e experiências reais para inspirar outros aventureiros a pegar a estrada com confiança. Seja planejando a viagem perfeita ou descobrindo tesouros locais, a missão de André é tornar cada jornada inesquecível.
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