Initially, when seeing Jacob Elordi play the role of Noah Flynn in “The Kissing Booth,” I was unimpressed. The movie follows the typical high school romance movie plot that is exciting for those of the target age, but utterly horrifying for those outside of it. I found myself cringing left and right at Elordi’s performance.
Of course, a movie that is targeted towards a younger audience will lack certain characteristics that draw in more mature audiences. The character depth and development in these types of movies tends to be quite minimal in these kinds of movies, along with plot structure being generally predictable, unrealistic, and not to mention corny, leaving much to be desired for audiences wanting a bit more out of their characters. Realistically, in the eyes of a pre-teen, Jacob Elordi played the role of the typical teenage “bad boy” in a way that draws the targeted audience into questioning things about his character and his demeanor that are crucial to the development of the movie.
Now, Elordi’s role in “Euphoria” is something, I will confidently say, to be reckoned with. The show itself handles themes that are not often portrayed within the media, and that in itself is something that could be considered difficult to grasp in the eyes of those portraying the characters. Elordi’s character Nate Jacob struggles with many different aspects of his identity that are almost impossible to keep track of. Notably, these struggles include the relationship between him and his father, Jules, and himself as he comes to terms with the truths he never wished to reveal to himself.
The collection of characters within the renowned show stretches the capabilities of many of the actors as they take on roles that are complex in their actions and reactions within scenes. “Euphoria” has a completely different audience compared to Elordi’s previous movies, allowing him to gather and develop new ideas and techniques when portraying the feelings and motivations of a character like Jacobs. Along with this, Elordi faces a change in character archetype, as his role in “Euphoria” is the ultimate antagonist, unlike his previous roles. The audience is persuaded to despise him within the show due to his narcissistic, misogynistic, and manipulative qualities, however, in the eyes of an accurate portrayal of such a character, this is a good sign with reference to the achievements of Elordi. The hatred given by the audience in relation to Nate Jacobs only proves the accomplishments of portraying such a character and allows for the audience to truly see Elordi’s talent. With this being said, it can be argued that “Euphoria” launched Elordi into the deeper parts of the film industry that allows him to play more complex and sophisticated characters, as seen in “Priscilla” and “Saltburn.”
The most recent display of the talent offered up for spectacle by Jacob Elordi is shown with his character Felix Catton within the movie “Saltburn.” Elordi’s character in this film differs from previous roles in not only stature, but prevalence as well. “Saltburn” has sent the TikTok and Instagram communities feening for more from Elordi. His role within this movie mimics that of “The Kissing Booth” in the idea that the audience is meant to fall in love with him and his performance, obviously negating the difference in audiences and depth of characters. When taking the alteration in audience and depth of the character he played, his roles within both of these movies are substantially different. Elordi’s role within “Saltburn” was, in my opinion, to serve as a spectacle for not only the audience, but for the other characters as well. I feel, despite the movie taking off and genuinely providing the audience with an interesting story, Elordi’s role wasn’t something that marked any transcendence within his career, as there was not much to add to the “wow factor” of his abilities.
In all, Elordi is one of the most successful Gen Z actors and has been marked as a bona fide movie star. His abilities to work through difficult characters and themes is prevalent thus far within his career, however, mainly due to his role in “Euphoria.” I would like to see Elordi in more challenging roles and see his abilities tested beyond their current status; This is not to say that he has not earned his popularity, he certainly has, however, I believe that most of this is due to “Euphoria” along with his physical attributes. Elordi is beginning to transcend into one of the biggest actors of our generation, and I honestly hope to continue to see him in new and challenging movies so that he may continue to grow into the actor that many of us hope to see later down the road.