Actor Jacob Elordi adopts Japanese dance to play a monster in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein

Building a character made from human parts required an unusual physical approach behind the scenes of Hollywood. The challenge of playing a recomposed being led to a search for references that deviated from the traditional performances of Western cinema. The answer emerged in an Eastern performance art focused on extreme muscle control and the expression of pain.

Australian actor Jacob Elordi used butoh, an avant-garde Japanese dance, to bring Criatura to life in the film Frankenstein, directed by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. The production debuted in the Netflix catalog in November 2025. The film adapts the classic work by writer Mary Shelley and features names such as Oscar Isaac in the main cast, in the role of scientist Victor Frankenstein, and actress Mia Goth.

The body technique behind the monster

The choice of the oriental method allowed us to explore the character’s initial vulnerability and innocence. Butoh focuses its aesthetics on slow, contorted movements. Essa body language aligned with the concept of a reanimated body trying to understand its own existence. Elordi reported during the publicity tour that the practice worked as a tool to translate the awakening of a corpse.

The preparation process involved weeks of intensive training before recording began. The artist combined the principles of dance with observation of the movements of animals and young children. Ele spent hours practicing gestures in front of the mirror to master the slowness required by driving. The technique helped sustain the performance under heavy layers of prosthetic makeup.

Guillermo del Toro approved the protagonist’s initiative from the first camera tests. The director considered that the proposed physicality complemented the gothic atmosphere built for the project’s physical sets. Elordi took over the role following the departure of Andrew Garfield, who left the cast due to scheduling conflicts. Criatura’s look underwent a complete redesign to suit the new performer’s imposing stature.

Origens of Japanese art in the post-war period

Butoh was born in the Japão at the end of the 1950s, during the country’s reconstruction period after the Segunda Guerra Mundial. Founders Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno were looking for an unprecedented form of expression. Eles wanted to break both dominant Western traditions and classical Japanese styles such as noh theater and kabuki. The first official presentation took place in 1959 and shocked the public at the time.

The initial performance rejected coded steps and prioritized internal impulses. Hijikata focused on darkness and human anguish, while Ohno brought spiritual elements to the stage. Essa duality shaped a dance aimed at exploring the unconscious. The aesthetic consolidated very specific visual and physical characteristics that persist to this day in contemporary dance companies.

• Movimentos based on physical sensations and memories without the use of fixed choreography.
• Uso with intense facial expressions with rolled eyes and open mouths.
• Corpos often painted white to create ghostly figures.
• Temas focused on metamorphosis, grotesqueness and connection with primal instincts.

In the cinematic context of 2025, these elements served as the basis for the unique physicality required by the script. The adaptation of the technique to the screen demonstrated the dance’s versatility for narratives involving loss of identity and physical rebirth.

Impacto visual and review recognition

The dedication to body language generated immediate repercussions during awards season. The film received several Golden Globe nominations, including the best supporting actor category for Elordi. Críticos of cinema pointed to the performance as the highlight of the work. The specialized media highlighted the emotional depth achieved, differentiating the current work from the classic version immortalized by Boris Karloff in past decades.

The physical effort went beyond slow movement training. The actor needed to change his body composition for the project. Ele had lost weight for a previous job and needed to rebuild his muscles to guarantee the threatening presence described in the script. The daily routine on set included hours of applying dozens of prosthetic pieces before each shoot.

The patience required in the makeup chair became part of the immersion process. The interpreter reported that the performance began inside the trailer, as the craft materials were glued to his body. The expressive eyes beneath the heavy makeup were praised for conveying the transition from naivety to anger throughout the plot.

Adaptação modern literary classic

The project represents the fulfillment of an old desire of the Mexican director. Vencedor of Oscar, Del Toro had been planning to adapt the novel for years, keeping the focus on themes like isolation, creation, and the essence of humanity. The production avoided the excessive use of digital effects in the construction of the monster. The team prioritized practical effects to honor the artisanal aesthetic characteristic of the director’s filmography.

The union between European Gothic literature and Eastern performance art created a distinct cultural layer for the feature film. The lyrical soundtrack follows the development of the central character on his journey of discovery and rejection. The end result delivers a vision faithful to the original spirit of the book published in the 19th century, updated by contemporary preparation methods.