In the past six months, I covered many of Jacob Elordi’s interviews as he promoted Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights. He came across well, in my opinion – he’s a mama’s boy, he’s a cineaste, he loves working with women and he has ambitions beyond being a pin-up. I don’t even find him pretentious, I find most actors his age pretty pretentious. Now, is he a good actor? Possibly, if given the right material and the right director. He just earned his first Oscar nomination for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, as well as several other award nominations for the same role (the Monster). However, following up Frankenstein with Wuthering Heights – which was financially successful but poorly-reviewed – has caused some confusion and consternation about Elordi’s talent and whether he’s really a “star.” One of those confused people? Iconic Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar.

Pedro Almodóvar is questioning if Jacob Elordi‘s rise to acclaim in the entertainment industry has occurred because he’s a “sex symbol or a respected actor.”

During an appearance on the La Pija y la Quinqui podcast, the Spanish filmmaker was encouraged to collaborate with the Oscar-nominated actor in a future project. Almodóvar admitted that Elordi’s stardom is “real,” but that some of the projects he’s taken part in have led him to question if he’s become popular solely for his acting skills.

“I can now see that Jacob Elordi’s stardom is indeed real,” Almodóvar said, per the HuffPost. “I was still wondering whether he was a sex symbol or a respected actor.”

The Room Next Door director specifically described Wuthering Heights, which Elordi recently starred in, as “very bad.” However, the filmmaker noted that it wasn’t the actor or his co-star Margot Robbie’s fault that he disliked the film. He added, “They do what they can.”

He also discussed Elordi’s Oscar-nominated performance in Frankenstein, noting that the titular role is a “comfortable” part for an actor to take on. Almodóvar also argued that Guillermo del Toro’s take on the classic story depicted the monster of Frankenstein in a different, more attractive light.

“We still need to see him, at least I do, in another role that demands more from him,” Almodóvar added.

[From THR]

Weirdly, the role which made me sit up and notice Elordi’s talent was his turn as Elvis in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. Elordi wore that role so lightly, and he worked that character with such a deft touch. But I get it – after seeing Wuthering Heights, I’m sure a lot of people in the film industry are like “eh, wtf??” I actually agree with Almodovar that we still need to see Elordi stretch as an actor, and I hope he chooses his next projects wisely. The worst thing for him right now would be “convincing himself that he’s a leading man” and not taking up offers to do more offbeat/supporting roles which would make him grow as an actor.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.