Pedro Almodóvar questions whether Jacob Elordi is “just a sex symbol”
Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar has some thoughts on Wuthering Heights star Jacob Elordi after questioning whether he’s enjoyed a stratospheric rise to fame because he’s a “sex symbol or a respected actor”.
In an appearance on the La Pija y la Quinqui podcast, Almodóvar offered his assessment on Elordi’s impressive career so far, which started in earnest on HBO’s Euphoria and has included hits like Emerald Fennell’s Satlburn and Guillmero del Toro’s Frankenstein.
He began, “I think Jacob Elordi is going to be a big star—no doubt about that.”
The filmmaker then mused, “But lately I’ve been wondering whether he’s just a sex symbol or a respected actor.”
As such, Almodóvar would need to see Elordi in a role that demands more before reaching a clear conclusion.
Almodóvar is also not a fan of Elordi’s recent projects, such as Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein. He added, “It’s not Jacob Elordi’s or Margot Robbie’s fault—they do what they can. It’s not even kitsch.”
As such, Almodóvar suggested that the material Elordi had to work with in Frankenstein limited what he was able to do as an actor: “What’s happening with Frankenstein adaptations is that they’ve become these filthy creatures, made from pieces of other bodies—it’s always been a horror story,” he explained.
He went on, “But now they’ve added a kind of sexualised imagery to it; they’ve made the monster attractive. He has to speak in that deep, low voice, and that’s much easier than using a more expressive range. So, in that sense, Frankenstein is very convenient for an actor.”
Almodóvar concluded, “We need to see him — or at least I do — in another role that demands more of him.”
Elordi might get his chance to impress Almodóvar in his upcoming project, The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott. In the novel adaptation, he will play a civillian pilot in a post-apocalyptic world.
Almodóvar is a celebrated Spanish auteur known for plenty of movies, such as 1999’s All ABout My Mother, 2002’s Talk to Her, and 2011’s The Skin I Live In.
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