Jacob Elordi Archives

Nudgee Old Boy Jacob Elordi: The Win You Didn’t See

Photo Credit: Frankenstein Film/Facebook

St Joseph’s Nudgee College Old Boy Jacob Elordi has secured his first major international acting prize, starting 2026 with a bang by winning Best Supporting Actor at the Critics’ Choice Awards. The honour marks a significant career milestone — but for friends, family and fans back home, the more compelling story lies behind the headlines.

What transpired at the awards stage was brief. What led to that moment was anything but.

Critics’ Choice Recognition

The 31st Critics’ Choice Awards were held on 4 January 2026 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, officially opening the annual film and television awards season. Elordi emerged as one of the night’s key winners, taking out Best Supporting Actor in a competitive category.

The award was presented for his performance as the Creature in Frankenstein, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The result marked Elordi’s first major acting award at an international ceremony, representing a significant career milestone.

Elordi’s win came as Frankenstein emerged as one of the night’s most recognised films, also collecting multiple technical awards including costume design, hair and makeup, and production design — categories that underscore just how collaborative his performance was.

The film’s success reflected strong critical support, particularly for its visual presentation and production craftsmanship. Elordi’s performance was selected from a field that included several established international actors, underscoring growing recognition for his work in complex, character-driven roles. Other Australian winners included Sarah Snook who won Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for All Her Fault.

The Critics’ Choice Awards are widely regarded as a strong indicator of momentum ahead of other major industry ceremonies later in the year. With Frankenstein securing multiple awards, the film has emerged as one to watch as the awards season progresses.

From striped blazer to stitched-together Creature

Long before red carpets and awards-season momentum, Elordi was known locally as a student at St Joseph’s Nudgee College — a connection that has resurfaced repeatedly as his career has accelerated. Recent local coverage highlighted old school images circulating through the Nudgee Old Boys network: blazer-era Elordi, instantly recognisable to classmates, now contrasted with one of the most physically demanding roles of his career.

Jacob Elordi then and now — Photo Credit: Facebook/St Joseph’s Nudgee College

In Frankenstein, he is almost unrecognisable. The leap from north-side school corridors to gothic cinema is stark, and it frames just how far the journey has travelled — not just in distance, but in discipline.

The win you didn’t see: the work behind the role

Awards rarely account for endurance. In this case, it mattered.

Frankenstein was among the most recognised films of the night, collecting multiple Critics’ Choice Awards across technical categories. Alongside Elordi’s acting win, the film also received honours for costume design, hair and makeup, and production design.

Elordi reportedly underwent full-body prosthetic applications around 20 times, with approximately 42 separate prosthetic pieces used to construct the Creature’s appearance. Only small parts of his face — the tip of his nose, upper lip and chin — remained uncovered.

Frankenstein film — *Photo Credit: Frankenstein Film/Facebook*

Those sessions ran for hours. Rather than treating them as downtime, Elordi used the stillness to work on character. The performance was built slowly, piece by piece, long before critics took notice.

Before the spotlight: a north-side theatre kid

Earlier reporting traced Elordi’s beginnings not to overnight fame but to theatre — the kind of acting shaped by repetition, restraint and unglamorous work. Before screen recognition, he was described as a theatre kid from Brisbane’s north side, drawn to performance well before Hollywood attention arrived.

That background helps explain the patience required for Frankenstein. Long shoots, heavy prosthetics and limited movement demand a performer comfortable with process rather than immediacy — a sensibility often forged years before success.

From uncredited extra to international recognition

One early career detail still surprises casual fans: Elordi once appeared as an uncredited extra in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Blink and you would have missed him.

Viewed now, that moment reads less as trivia and more as a marker. The path from background appearances to international awards wasn’t sudden. It was cumulative — shaped by persistence rather than momentum.

A creative reset, quietly decisive

Elordi has previously described Frankenstein as a creative reset — a project that reminded him why he wanted to make films in the first place. That framing matters.

Critics Choice Awards — *Photo Credit: Frankenstein Film/Facebook*

Rather than leaning into familiarity, the role demanded discomfort: physical restriction, emotional economy and a character defined as much by silence as speech. The result was a performance that stood apart in a crowded awards field — not louder, but more deliberate.

What travels home

Jacob Elordi Critics’ Choice — *Photo Credit: Frankenstein Film/Facebook*

Director Guillermo del Toro reportedly praised Elordi’s efficiency on set, noting that many scenes required no more than two takes. Just as telling were accounts that he never complained during lengthy prosthetics sessions — professionalism that resonated through the production.

Back home, that work ethic has been quietly followed. Alumni networks have tracked his progress not as celebrity spectacle, but as a long-form story of someone who kept showing up, role by role.

The trophy may have been handed over in California, but the habits that earned it were shaped much closer to home.

Published 7-Jan-2026

Nudgee Alumnus Jacob Elordi Leads Australian Charge at Golden Globes

Photo Credit: Jacob Elordi Fan Page/ Instagram

St Joseph’s Nudgee College is celebrating one of its own after former student Jacob Elordi secured two prestigious Golden Globe nominations, cementing his place as a leading figure in international cinema.

A Local School’s Pride

The Brisbane school’s Old Boys’ Association recently shared a photo of Elordi from his school days to highlight his journey from a local student to a global star. In the picture, a young Elordi is seen smiling in his blue-and-white striped blazer, a stark contrast to the gritty roles he is now famous for.

The association posted the image on its community network, expressing how proud the school is of his achievements. Elordi grew up in Brisbane and considered himself a “theatre kid” before heading to America as a teenager to chase his acting dreams.

Bringing the Creature to Life

Elordi’s nomination for best supporting male actor comes from his role in the movie Frankenstein, where he plays the famous Creature. This performance required a massive physical change. Makeup artist Mike Hill explained that he applied full-body prosthetics to the actor about 20 times. The process used 42 different pieces, including fake teeth and a reshaped brow. Hill noted that only the tip of Elordi’s nose, his upper lip, and his chin were visible, while the rest was rubber. Despite the long hours in the makeup chair, Hill said Elordi never complained and used the quiet time to focus on his character.

The film’s director, Guillermo del Toro, praised the Australian actor’s skill on set. Reports state that del Toro said Elordi rarely needed more than two takes to get a scene right. Elordi has described this role as a chance to put his own experiences into his work, calling it a creative reset that made him love movies again.

Aussies Take on the Awards

Elordi also received a nomination for his role in the TV series The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which is based on a book by Richard Flanagan.

He is not the only Australian hoping to win at the 83rd Golden Globes. Other Australian stars are also in the running. Rose Byrne is nominated for best female actor in a musical or comedy for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Joel Edgerton is up for best male actor in a drama for Train Dreams, and musician Nick Cave is nominated for Original Song in the same film. Sarah Snook is competing for a best actress award for the series All Her Fault.

Changes in the Industry

While Australian talent shines, the awards season is happening during a time of big business changes in Hollywood. Netflix recently made a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, but Paramount has challenged this with a cash offer to shareholders. Amidst these shifts, the Golden Globes ceremony has moved to CBS with a new voting body of over 300 people. Comedian Nikki Glaser will return to host the event. For the first time, the ceremony will also include a trophy for the best podcast.

Published Date 22-December-2025

Jacob Elordi’s Nudgee Roots Highlighted as ‘Frankenstein’ Reviews Surge

Photo Credit: St Joseph’s Nudgee College/Facebook

A resurfaced school photo shared by St Joseph’s Nudgee College highlights how former Brisbane student Jacob Elordi has gone from his days in a striped blue-and-white blazer to widespread praise for his role in Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein film. The image, posted by the school’s Old Boys’ Association, marks how far the actor has come since his Nudgee years.

A Local School Proud of Its Former Student

The tribute was shared as praise grew for Elordi’s physical and emotional transformation into the Creature, which has been described as one of the most striking reinventions of the character in years. The Old Boys’ Association told its community that Elordi’s work on the film has made the school proud of all he has achieved. The message was shared as a Facebook post to thousands of former students through the school’s online community network.

Behind the scenes, his transformation relied on extensive prosthetic work. Prosthetics artist Mike Hill has explained that he applied Elordi’s full-body prosthetics around 20 times, using 42 separate pieces, fake dentures and a re-sculpted brow over hours of makeup work. He said only the tip of the nose, upper lip and chin belonged to Elordi, while the rest was constructed from rubber prosthetics. Hill added that Elordi never complained during the long sessions and used the time to focus and settle into the character.

Director Guillermo del Toro has also spoken highly of Elordi, reportedly saying the actor only ever needs two takes, suggesting he rarely requires extra attempts to complete a scene. His portrayal of the Creature has been hailed internationally as one of the boldest reinventions of the character in decades.

From Brisbane Theatre Kid to Hollywood Lead

Elordi grew up in Brisbane and has described himself as a theatre kid before moving to Hollywood as a teenager to pursue acting. He first had a taste of the spotlight when he appeared as an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, taking an uncredited role as a Saint Martin’s Marine.

His career shifted rapidly in the years that followed, beginning with a breakout performance in The Kissing Booth. He later took on a darker turn as a toxic high-school love interest in HBO’s Euphoria. He also stepped into the shoes of Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biographical drama Priscilla. More recently, his turn as Felix Catton in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn earned him a BAFTA Rising Star nomination.

A Role That Reshaped His Creative Path

Elordi has said the role of the Creature was a vessel he could put every part of himself into, allowing him to bring more of his own experience to the screen than ever before. He reflected on how the character drew from his personal history, and he suggested the process helped him reconnect with the core reasons he pursued acting. He described the project as a creative reset that reignited his passion for movies.

He is also set to appear in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights alongside fellow Australian actor Margot Robbie. This development has already attracted attention due to the high-profile pairing.

The resurfaced school photo shows a young Nudgee student, smiling in a blue-and-white blazer, who has since gone on to reach audiences around the world. As his career continues to expand, the message from St Joseph’s Nudgee College highlights the pride within the school community when one of its own succeeds on an international stage.

Published 17-Nov-2025