Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar has ignited a feverish debate on social media after questioning whether Jacob Elordi is a “respected actor” or simply “a sex symbol”.
Almodóvar, known for his movies like Volver and Talk To Here, scrutinised Elordi’s acting range — including his recent roles in book adaptations — in a podcast interview, when asked whether he’d ever cast the actor in future projects.
“I think Jacob Elordi is going to be a big star, no doubt about that,” Almodóvar said. “But lately I’ve been wondering whether he’s just a sex symbol or a respected actor.”
The director went on to slam the divisive Wuthering Heights, which starred co-starred Elordi and Margot Robbie, as “very bad”, but said “it’s not Jacob Elordi or Margot Robbie’s fault — they do what they can”.
“It’s not even kitsch,” he added of the Emerald Fennell movie.
Almodóvar then took aim at Elordi’s Oscar-nominated role in Frankenstein, criticising how adaptations of the book have “added a kind of sexualised imagery” to the Creature.
“It’s always been a horror story, but now they’ve added a kind of sexualised imagery to it — they’ve made the monster attractive. [Elordi] has to speak in that deep, low voice, and that’s much easier than using a more expressive range,” the director said.
“So, in that sense, Frankenstein is very convenient for an actor. We need to see [Elordi] — or at least I do — in another role that demands more of him,” he added.
The comments are particularly noteworthy in that just last year, Elordi reportedly told the Los Angeles Times that he’d love to work with Almodóvar and would learn Spanish to star in one of his movies.
Almodóvar’s critiques sparked debate on social media. Some defenders said the director is “missing the point” and praised Elordi’s Frankenstein role as his “best to date”, while others opined that “none of [Elordi’s] performances are memorable” or claimed “he’s been completely outacted by his screen partners”.
Regardless of where you land, the comments come on the back of a string of successful roles for Elordi in recent years, including Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein as well as Saltburn, Euphoria and Priscilla — so I’d say he’s doing pretty well for himself!
Lead images: TikTok and Warner Bros.
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