Mary Shelley's Frankenstein isn't exactly renowned for its japes and joie de vivre. While Guillermo del Toro's adaptation very much leans into the Gothic horror side of the creature feature, Victor Frankenstein actor Oscar Isaac has revealed just how much he reveled in the fun he was having on set.
"It was the most fucking fun I've ever had in my life," a grinning Isaac tells SFX magazine, which features It: Welcome to Derry on the cover and hits newsstands on Wednesday, October 8.
"Running around in the rain, up and down steps, this Christ-like thing on a crucifix and Guillermo in the corner, screaming! It was hard to fathom that it was actually happening. It's such dark material, but was approached with so much joy. Like 14 year olds had keys to the kingdom – it had that kind of energy to it."
Despite the enthusiasm exhibited by Isaac on set, the Del Toro-directed Frankenstein is opting for a different direction compared to the 'mad scientist' figure of Victor Frankenstein that is typically explored in adaptations of the literary classic.
"[Guillermo] was much more interested in the emotional underpinnings of what the character means to him than the stuff we’ve seen, which I guess is ‘scientist gone mad'", says Isaac. "There's elements of that, but we approach it more as an artist. And really this idea of generational abuse and trauma that gets passed down, and how he continues to pass that down towards his creation. And ultimately the reckoning that happens because of that."
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Frankenstein releases in select cinemas on October 17 and on Netflix from November 7. Read more in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which will be available from Wednesday, October 8. Here's the It: Welcome to Derry cover you need to be looking out for on newsstands below...
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