The director’s personal take on the Mary Shelley classic is up for nine Oscars, including Best Picture.

*Frankenstein *cast: What to know about the Guillermo del Toro movie’s stacked ensemble

The director's personal take on the Mary Shelley classic is up for nine Oscars, including Best Picture.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 11, 2026 10:00 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Mia Goth as Elizabeth and Jacob Elordi as the Creature in 'Frankenstein'. Credit:

Ken Woroner/Netflix

- Guillermo del Toro's long-gestating adaptation of *Frankenstein* is centered around the theme of forgiveness.

- Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Jacob Elordi lead a high-profile cast.

- *Frankenstein *is now streaming on Netflix.

*Frankenstein* was a project years in the making for Guillermo del Toro, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind movies like *Pan's Labyrinth *and *The Shape of Water*. At long last, he got the opportunity to adapt Mary Shelley's gothic masterpiece for Netflix.

For del Toro, this *Frankenstein *is deeply personal. He's described his story as one of pain, regret, and forgiveness, the latter being inspired by a conversation with his father.

As he explained to **, it's about "forgiving someone and forgiving yourself into *being*." He added, "What you realize is a grudge takes two prisoners and forgiveness liberates two people.” Reflecting on the timing, he said, "I thought I could make the movie, but then I went, *'No, thank God it didn't happen until now.'"*

His vision paved the way for nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actor nod for Jacob Elordi, who plays the Creature.

After its theatrical run, *Frankenstein *is now available to stream on Netflix. Below is an introduction to the cast of *Frankenstein* — who they're playing and where you've seen them before.

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein in 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac is nothing if not versatile, with roles that include a struggling folkie in *Inside Llewyn Davis *(2013), a driven mayor on *Show Me a Hero *(2015), and a rebellious X-wing fighter pilot in the *Star Wars *sequel trilogy (2015–2019).

Isaac is also known for his roles on TV shows like *Scenes from a Marriage* (2021) and Marvel's *Moon Knight *(2022), as well as an array of blockbusters that include *X-Men: Apocalypse* (2016), *Annihilation* (2018), the *Spider-Verse* franchise (2018–present), and *Dune *(2021).

Coming up, Isaac will headline season 2 of the Emmy-winning Netflix series *Beef *alongside three-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan.

Oscar Isaac reveals the 'untranslatable' dirty joke Guillermo del Toro directed him with in Spanish on 'Frankenstein'

Oscar Isaac on creating Frankenstein's doctor — and giving him a 'rock star' quality (exclusive)

Isaac plays the lead role of Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who creates life from death. Christian Convery (*Sweet Tooth*, *Cocaine Bear*) appears as a young Victor.

Speaking with EW, Isaac hinted that his version of Victor Frankenstein will be much different than past depictions. The actor shared that fans will witness the doctor go through "an entire arc of a human life," adding, "He himself becomes much more of a monster and a creature by the end of it."

Jacob Elordi as The Creature

Jacob Elordi as The Creature in 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

Jacob Elordi first broke out in *The Kissing Booth* trilogy (2018–2021), but it was his turn as toxic high school jock Nate Jacobs on HBO's *Euphoria* (2019–present) that turned heads. He's since earned praise for his performance as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola's *Priscilla *(2023) and as Felix Catton in Emerald Fennell's *Saltburn *(2023).

Next up, Elordi will star opposite Margot Robbie in Fennell's *Wuthering Heights*.

Elordi takes on the role of The Creature, a.k.a. Frankenstein's monster, in del Toro's *Frankenstein*. According to the director, Elordi's connection to the monster ran deep.

"He said something to me that was touching and real: 'This creature is more me than me,'" del Toro recalled to EW. "He said, 'And people don't know that, and I'm going to be able to be myself through this.' He brought a truth to this performance that's really something to behold."

Mia Goth as Elizabeth Harlander and Claire Frankenstein

Mia Goth as Elizabeth in 'Frankenstein'; Mia Goth as Claire Frankenstein and Christian Convery as young Victor Frankenstein in 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner/Netflix (2)

Mia Goth has earned her place as a scream queen thanks to breakout performances in Ti West's *X *trilogy (2022–2024), playing adult film star Maxine Minx and killer Pearl Douglas.

Next, she's set to star in two major projects: Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey* and Shawn Levy's *Star Wars: Starfighter*.

In *Frankenstein*, Goth takes on two roles. The first is Elizabeth, William's fiancée. The other is Victor and William's late mother, Claire. Del Toro told *Elle* that he tailored the role of Elizabeth specifically for Goth after hearing her speak about motherhood and her desire to "care about another human being selflessly."

Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein

Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein in 'Frankenstein'.

Frank Ockenfels/Netflix

Felix Kammerer is best known for his powerful debut as soldier Paul Bäumer in the Oscar-winning *All Quiet on the Western Front *(2022). Since then, Kammerer has appeared on the Netflix miniseries *All the Light We Cannot See *(2023) and in the historical survival drama *Eden *(2024), among other projects.

Here, Kammerer portrays William Frankenstein, Victor's younger brother and the "golden child." In an October 2025 interview with Numéro Netherlands, the actor described the experience as "a journey," especially working alongside Isaac.

"We brought those characters alive while interacting with each other," he said. "Sometimes it felt like they needed each other to really exist. You need William for Victor and you need Victor for William. Otherwise it wouldn't really work."**

Charles Dance as Baron Leopold Frankenstein

Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein and Christian Convery as young Victor Frankenstein in 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

Throughout his long career, Charles Dance has played no shortage of imposing, calculating characters. With his unmistakable voice and commanding presence, Dance has left his mark on everything from and *Alien 3 *(1992) and *Michael Collins* (1996) to *Game of Thrones *(2011‍–‍2015) and *The Crown *(2019‍–‍2020).

Dance plays Baron Leopold Frankenstein, the father of Victor and William. Fun fact: Dance portrayed the very same character in 2015's *Victor Frankenstein.* In del Toro's version, however, the father-son dynamic takes a darker turn.

Rather than the "very kind, doting father" seen in previous adaptations, Isaac described this Baron to EW as "a very domineering father that's quite abusive but that expects so much of him. And in fact, somebody that Victor blames for the death of his beloved mother."

Christoph Waltz as Henrich Harlander

Christoph Waltz as Henrich Harlander in 'Frankenstein'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Christoph Waltz is a two-time Oscar winner for his roles in Quentin Tarantino's *Inglourious Basterds* (2009) and *Django Unchained* (2012).

Audiences might also recognize the veteran actor for playing the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond films *Spectre *(2015) and *No Time to Die* (2021), or as billionaire Sebastian "Bash" Steed in season 5 of *Only Murders in the Building *(2025).

Now, Waltz steps into the shoes of Henrich Harlander, a powerful and wealthy arms dealer who funds Victor's dangerous experiments.

Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson

Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson in 'Frankenstein'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Lars Mikkelsen, the older brother of actor Mads Mikkelsen, rose to fame in Danish film and TV productions before being introduced to Western audiences with roles on *House of Cards *(2015–2018) and *The Witcher *(2019–present).

He's also a *Star Wars *staple, playing the calculating Grand Admiral Thrawn on *Star Wars Rebels *(2016–2018), *Ahsoka* (2023), and *Star Wars: Tales of the Empire *(2024).

In *Frankenstein*, Mikkelsen plays Captain Anderson, the captain who comes upon an ailing Victor Frankenstein in the Arctic.**

David Bradley as The Blind Man

Sofia Galasso as Anna-Maria and David Bradley as Blind Man in 'Frankenstein'.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

David Bradley's played baddies in two of the biggest franchise's of this century. He starred as Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch in the *Harry Potter *films (2001–2011), and helped orchestrate the bloody Red Wedding as Lord Walder Frey on *Game of Thrones *(2011–2017).

He's also collaborated with del Toro before, voicing Geppetto in del Toro's Oscar-winning adaptation of *Pinocchio *(2022), as well as Merlin on the animated series *Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia *(2017–2018).

Bradley reunites with del Toro for *Frankenstein*, playing a character called The Blind Man. The actor told *Metro* that "there's a similarity" in *Pinocchio* and *Frankenstein*.

"It's someone who wants to play God creating a human being and then rejects it," he explained. "And in a way, that's what Geppetto did with Pinocchio, and that's what Frankenstein does with the Creature. So, it was nice to play someone on the other side of the fence who accepts him straight away because he can't see him."

Where can I watch Frankenstein?**

*Frankenstein *is now streaming on Netflix.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

- Horror Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Horror”