Jacob Elordi’s Surprising Ritual for Escaping Intense Roles

Jacob Elordi has never been one to settle for the obvious. While many might have expected him to ride the wave of his early fame into a string of formulaic blockbusters, he’s instead carved out a reputation for choosing roles that demand a bit more grit and nuance. His turn in Euphoria may have introduced him to the masses, but it’s the choices he’s made since that have set him apart from the crowd.

Rather than chasing after the next big franchise or donning a superhero cape, Elordi has shown a clear preference for working with directors who bring something distinctive to the table. There’s a certain deliberateness to his career path, reminiscent of the likes of Ralph Fiennes or Gary Oldman, who’ve long been admired for their discerning taste in projects.

From Elvis to the Unrecognisable

It wasn’t long after Austin Butler’s star-making turn in Elvis that Elordi found himself stepping into the shoes of the King, albeit from a rather different angle. In Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, he played a more vulnerable, complex version of Presley, with the story unfolding through the eyes of Priscilla herself. Cailee Spaeny took on the title role, and together they offered a fresh perspective on a well-trodden tale.

Elordi didn’t stop there. He brought a certain magnetism to Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, a film that sparked its fair share of debate, and later took on the challenge of portraying a younger incarnation of Richard Gere’s character in Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada—a historical drama that, while not widely seen, drew praise for its subtlety.

Transforming for Del Toro

Despite being regularly singled out for his looks, Elordi’s most lauded performance to date saw him almost disappear beneath the surface. Guillermo del Toro’s 2025 take on Frankenstein gave him the space to explore the creature’s inner world in a way audiences hadn’t witnessed before. The result? A string of major awards and more than a whisper of Oscar buzz, with some suggesting he could be in line for a nomination—or perhaps even the statuette itself.

Now, he’s on the cusp of what might be his most ambitious project yet: a return to Fennell for her adaptation of Wuthering Heights. The role of Heathcliff comes with its own set of expectations, and the production has already attracted plenty of attention, not all of it positive.

Finding Solace in Austen

With the pressure mounting, Elordi found an unexpected way to decompress. Speaking to W Magazine, he revealed that he turned to Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility as a form of escape.

“I just broke down,”

he admitted, describing the emotional impact the film had on him. It’s not the first title that springs to mind when thinking of comfort viewing, but for Elordi, Lee’s adaptation—often hailed as one of the finest interpretations of Jane Austen’s work—offered a much-needed respite.

Lee’s decision to direct a story set in late 18th-century England may have raised a few eyebrows at the time, but his gentle touch and eye for detail brought out memorable performances from Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, and a young Kate Winslet. With a new version starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and George MacKay on the horizon, it remains to be seen whether it can match the original’s reputation—at least in Elordi’s eyes.

As for Wuthering Heights, there’s no single actor whose portrayal of Heathcliff casts a shadow over all others, leaving Elordi free to make the role his own, unburdened by comparisons to a so-called definitive performance.