Stars Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac, director Guillermo del Toro and other members of the creative team brought star power and enthusiasm to Monday night’s UK premiere of the Netflix series. Frankenstein at the 69th edition of the BFI London Film Festival (LFF).
Elordi treated his enthusiastic fans to selfies and autographs until the very last second, and del Toro spent a lot of time doing the same to the delight of his fans. They also walked the red carpet at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre. Frankenstein stars Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance, David Bradley and Lars Mikkelsen, as well as composer Alexandre Desplat, costume designer Kate Hawley, production designer Tamara Deverell and creature designer Mike Hill, among others.
Goth shared with THR on the red carpet, that it was del Toro’s idea to let her play a surprise second role – that of Victor Frankenstein’s mother, in addition to the role of his friend Elizabeth Lavenza. “I was so honored,” Goth said. “Because just to be a part of his film and play one role is so flattering. But to be asked to play two roles was very special.”
Kammerer also expressed his enthusiasm. “It was an incredible experience, especially because I always worked with Oscar [Isaac] on my bucket list because I absolutely enjoy him as an actor,” he said. THR on the red carpet in London. “And now I can call him a colleague. And Jacob, who is so humble, Mia and, of course, Christoph. With Christoph in particular, we discovered that we had a connection since the two Austrians on set spent many nights having dinner together. That was definitely one of the highlights.”
How is the collaboration with del Toro going? “It is very precise,” emphasized Kammerer? “And he’s very, very funny, and he’s very open about his process. So if he doesn’t like something, he’ll let you and everyone on set know, but in a good way. But also, if he likes something, he’ll scream and shout, ‘I like that.’ It’s a lot of fun.
Creature guru Hill said he tried to focus on the film in question rather than past depictions of The Creature. “What you have to do is try to ignore all the past versions,” he said. THR. “I just came up with what we thought this creature might look like. And the main goal I tried to achieve was to make it look like it was from the 1800s, not a modern day creature, a modern special effect. I wanted it to look like it was built in that era. And I think the design reflects that, the medical procedures of the time, the naivety of the time.”
Desplat explained his work on Frankenstein this way: “There is so much beauty on screen: the design, the costumes, the casting. It’s so incredible for a composer to be able to add music to that beauty. Second, how do we create empathy for the audience and the creature? How do we make this creature human, more human, using the finest, most difficult, most fragile instrument: the violin.”
What does this give in terms of emotions and atmosphere? “By having this pure sound of the violin, the audience feels the fragility of the creature,” he said. THR.
Desplat also summed up the essence of the story and the film. “It’s a love story,” he said. “It’s a romantic love story, epic, but romantic, because every character in the film is looking for love.”
Frankenstein releases in select theaters on October 17 and begins streaming on Netflix on November 7.
