Success stories often come with a little bit of rebellion, and the same can be said for Jacob Elordi’s Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. In a performance that relied heavily on body language and was nearly wordless, Elordi conveyed a remarkable range of emotion while portraying the creature. And the opportunity that brought him acclaim seemed to have a slightly rebellious moment on the actor’s part, too.

As Elordi recalled the hilarious incident that nearly kept him from joining Frankenstein, director del Toro followed it up with some advice of his own.

Jacob Elordi first discovered Guillermo del Toro’s work at age 10 in a DVD rental store, when he picked up a copy of Pan’s Labyrinth and showed his mother the frightening image of the monster, Pale Man, on the cover. She was not pleased, and although the film was rated M for Mature, she reluctantly agreed to rent it on the condition that he promised never to work with the director in future. 

“You must never work with this man.” he said. “And lo and behold.”

Recalling the incident during a BFI IMAX screening of Frankenstein, Elordi laughed at the irony, while del Toro later shared an even more bizarre advice.

“It’s good to disobey one’s mother,” the director joked, as reported by Variety.

Although it is not advised, this worked out for the actor, who is set to walk the Oscars red carpet, and reportedly plans to take his mother with him, according to Variety. His mother, Melissa Elordi, has yet to share how she feels about her son’s role in Frankenstein and how it all led to him working with del Toro on an Oscar-nominated project. After all, it feels like fate had a hand in it all. 

“That Was My Church”- How a 7-Year-Old Guillermo del Toro Was Destined to Make Netflix’s ‘Frankenstein’ a Masterpiece

Even del Toro had not planned this encounter, as Elordi was not the first choice to play the Creature in Frankenstein.

Guillermo del Toro revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that Andrew Garfield was originally his first choice to play the Creature in Frankenstein. However, Garfield had to step down due to scheduling conflicts, leaving the team with just nine weeks to find another actor to play the role. That is when the offer went to Jacob Elordi, who could not have been more excited about the role and accepted it leading the movie to not only a successful Netflix release but also Oscar.

Del Toro later praised Elordi, raving about how he was the perfect choice to play the Creature. Now, with Oscar nominations in the picture, the actor and director may not need to say much more. 

Mia Goth Continues Her Literary Run With Christopher Nolan After Enchanting in ‘Frankenstein'

What do you think about Jacob Elordi as Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.