Aahana Swrup
Under Guillermo del Toro’s masterful direction, Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi bring a refreshingly nuanced take to ‘Frankenstein,’ highlighting the paternal aspects of the relationship between the titular scientist and his creation. The film has a familiar premise revolving around scientist extraordinaire, Victor Frankenstein, who is on a quest to conquer death. However, once his ambitions succeed, he finds nothing but disappointment and horror in his galvanic, monstrous son. In turn, his creation, the Creature, finds himself thrust into a cold and cruel world with no explanation about his being, surrounded by the company of only one distant caretaker. However, soon enough, circumstances push the Creature out of his high-towered home and into a new place. Though riddled with danger, it also presents him with an opportunity to grow and become his own person. One of the defining instances of this is present in his speech development. Thus, the unique voice and accent Elordi employs for the Creature becomes integral to the character and his story.
Jacob Elordi’s Creature Has a Distinct Speech With a Slight Yorkshire Accent
Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus’ is one of the most influential pieces of work of our time. Often credited as the originator of the sci-fi genre, the novel has a special, seemingly evergreen place in pop culture. For the same reason, over the years, there have been numerous adaptations, renditions, and re-imaginings of the story, and subsequently, the Creature. Yet, Jacob Elordi’s version of the character brings something entirely new yet textually authentic to the table. Naturally, much dedication and intention were infused into the behind-the-scenes creation of the legendary Frankenstein’s monster, from his physical appearance to his way of speech. Notably, Elordi added a number of perks and quirks to the Creature’s voice.
Reportedly, Elordi looked to Mongolian throat singing to master the Creature’s distinctly gargling and rumbling voice. Additionally, since the actor wears false teeth to complete his character’s transcendental appearance, he made sure to run his lines with the prosthetics to create familiarity and ease. Additionally, he also gave the Creature a noticeable Yorkshire accent to complete the package. However, instead of a simple aesthetic choice, Elordi’s employment of the regional English accent has an actual in-universe reason behind it. In the film, the Creature’s vocabulary initially remains limited to his maker’s name, simultaneously signifying his child-like innocence as well as Victor’s egotistical disposition.
It is only after the Creature is forced out of the tower, compelled to take refuge at a hunter’s and his family’s cottage, that he truly learns to express himself through words. Even though his early days are spent hidden and out of the family’s sight, he learns to speak alongside the hunter’s daughter as she’s taught by her grandfather, a kind, blind man. Actor David Bradley, who was born in York, Yorkshire, and thus carries a faint accent from the region, plays the Blind Man in the film. Consequently, given the older character’s influence on the Creature’s speech, it makes sense for the latter to develop a slight undercurrent of a Yorkshire accent. Ultimately, Elordi’s decision to incorporate this small but nuanced detail into the Creature informs his overall performance of the iconic character.
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