Imagining goth icon Victor Frankenstein as a rockstar and yielding high praise for performance, AI could never, but Oscar Isaac just did. A peculiar energy surrounded Isaac's new portrayal of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, drenched in purple rain, under Guillermo del Toro’s unique vision. The buzz around the Netflix project escalated to new heights because it is not an ordinary retelling of a literary classic but a reinvention. Moreover, an icon whose influence one could never guess fine-tuned the core of it all.

As extraordinary as Guillermo del Toro’s usual monster epics go, Isaac's inspiration for this one turns out to be more surprising. 

Oscar Isaac not only went through his own past but also the stage charisma of pop and rock icon Prince to build his role in Frankenstein. He mentioned in an interview with GQ how he observed and analyzed Prince's control over the stage, particularly, "how to move effortlessly through a space and own it and create." Isaac revealed drawing inspiration from the singer's performance for the 1991 Special Olympics, linking the two very different worlds of boldness in being a rock star and of the mad scientist’s aspirations.

Isaac elaborated that it was one of Guillermo del Toro’s instructions that Frankenstein had to be "a rock star," per the outlet. Isaac took a note of Prince’s walk, how to strut with high-heeled shoes on, and how to be a mixture of both the showman and the outcast. The outcome? A unique Doctor Frankenstein who conducts science experiments like a concert of emotional expressions. Meanwhile, Isaac's own experience in a ska band, with him dancing on stage, also helped shape his role, much like the music legend, whose legacy remains preserved in pop culture's memory and documentaries.

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Isaac's juxtaposition of the pop icon with the iconic fictional character sparks more curiosity about the actual human behind the singer.

The art of creation and the creation of art are performative experiences of the elite kind, and who better to materialize the phenomenon than Prince? Preserved in several documentaries, the singer's history lives on in Prince: The Final Secret, available on Peacock. His revolutionary music is documented in the BBC's 2011 movie, Prince: A Purple Reign.

Meanwhile, Nick Randall's Prince: My Name Is documentary, which highlights the star's background, early life, and success, is streaming on Prime Video, Tubi, Plex, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, and more. Though Netflix's documentary collection is as intriguing as space itself, some stars have not yet appeared on the streaming platform, unlike Frankenstein, now available worldwide on Netflix.

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What are your thoughts on Oscar Isaac's inspiration for Victor Frankenstein? Comment below.