Mia Goth’s Secret Frankenstein Role Is Netflix’s Most Genius Hidden Trick

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As a lifelong fan of both classic horror and Guillermo del Toro, I was thrilled to finally see his take on Frankenstein – a story inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. And honestly, it completely lived up to the hype! It really captures the heart of the original novel while still feeling distinctly del Toro. Everyone’s been raving about the cast, and for good reason – Jacob Elordi is phenomenal as the Creature, and Oscar Isaac perfectly embodies Victor Frankenstein. But Mia Goth as Elizabeth Harlander? She absolutely steals the show! It’s a beautiful performance, and here’s a fun fact: she actually has another role in the film that most people don’t even notice on their first viewing.

Mia Goth is known for playing dual roles, as she did in the X movies. She’s done it again in Frankenstein, portraying both Elizabeth and Victor’s mother, Claire Frankenstein. These two characters are important figures at different points in Victor’s life, and casting a single actress to play both highlights Victor’s inner state and the film’s themes. The movie cleverly hints at this connection, even if viewers don’t immediately realize Goth is playing both parts.

Mia Goth Is Nearly Unrecognizable as Claire Frankenstein

Viewers on social media have expressed surprise at learning that Mia Goth played both Claire and Elizabeth in the film. However, the filmmakers took steps to make the two characters visually distinct. According to Mike Hill, the head of makeup effects for the film, Goth wore prosthetic makeup – on her forehead and nose – to make Claire resemble her son. This, combined with different hairstyles and clothing, helped audiences tell them apart. Claire is almost always seen in red, symbolizing love, life, and blood, while Elizabeth favors greens and blues, connecting her to nature, though she also wears other colors depending on who she’s interacting with. These strong visual cues make it easy to overlook the fact that a single actor portrays both roles.

The filmmakers of Frankenstein continue to find subtle visual connections between Claire and Elizabeth. For example, both characters are uniquely seen wearing red – Claire in red clothing and Elizabeth with a red crucifix. This might suggest a hidden connection, echoing Victor’s suspicion that his father was responsible for his mother’s death. Further linking them, Elizabeth wears a large green veil when she first meets the Creature, mirroring the red veil Claire wears when greeting her husband, Leopold. Roses framing Elizabeth’s face in that same scene also subtly connect her to Claire, as Del Toro noted these evoke the roses surrounding Claire in her coffin. These small details subtly tie the two characters together and hint at the motherly bond Elizabeth will eventually form with the Creature.

Claire and Elizabeth’s Casting Emphasizes Victor’s Oedipus Complex

Throughout interviews with director Guillermo del Toro and the creative team behind the film Frankenstein, the character of Victor Frankenstein is consistently portrayed as having a strong, possibly unhealthy, attachment to his mother. Costume designer Kate Hawley even described the frequent use of red in scenes involving Victor and his mother as symbolically significant, hinting at deeper psychological issues. This, combined with the fact that actor James Norton played both Victor and his father, strongly suggests Victor suffers from an Oedipus complex – a psychological theory where a son develops strong affections for his mother and rivalry toward his father. Victor’s recollections of his childhood confirm this; he clearly cherished having his mother’s undivided attention and resented his father’s presence. Her death during childbirth deeply traumatized him, and he blamed his father, a doctor who had overseen the delivery. This trauma fuels Victor’s obsession with conquering death, an ambition only momentarily lessened by his relationship with Elizabeth.

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Elizabeth is a fully realized character, and Mia Goth’s performance gives her more complexity than Claire, who has limited screen time. However, Victor views Elizabeth almost as a replacement for his mother. While she does challenge him—something his mother seemingly never did—he also feels a deep connection with her, similar to how he felt about Claire. Elizabeth embraces both life and death, finding beauty in everything from nature to scientific study. This explains why Victor becomes so possessive of her, mirroring his relationship with his mother. He isolates her by sending her fiancé away to work on his laboratory and, when she connects with the Creature, immediately suspects her of falling in love with him. Goth’s portrayal of both Claire and Elizabeth highlights the fact that Victor projects the image of his mother onto Elizabeth, repeating the patterns of his past.

Del Toro’s Frankenstein Focuses on Cycles of Abuse

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, as portrayed by Goth, powerfully explores the themes of family relationships and how abuse can repeat itself. The film highlights the connections between Victor and both his father and the creature he creates. Victor remembers his mother as loving, but his father as harsh and violent – a scene shows the father physically punishing young Victor for not knowing an answer. Despite wanting to be different from his father, Victor ends up repeating the same damaging patterns in his relationships with Elizabeth and the Creature, creating a cycle of toxicity.

Once Victor’s excitement about creating life wears off, he tries to care for the Creature like a son, but lacks the patience to teach him how to speak. He also grows resentful of the connection forming between the Creature and Elizabeth, and responds by physically punishing him – mirroring his own father’s behavior. Elizabeth, however, quickly becomes a loving and supportive figure, genuinely caring for the Creature and patiently helping him learn. This leads the Creature to love Elizabeth as a mother figure and to despise Victor. Their relationship has a romantic undertone, symbolized by Elizabeth removing her veil as if she were a bride when they meet, and the Creature tragically carrying her away in her wedding dress after she’s mortally wounded. This dynamic echoes Victor’s feelings for his own mother, and is emphasized by the actor playing both Elizabeth and the Creature. Notably, both characters played by the actor die at the hands of a father figure, fueling the son’s anger. Essentially, Victor repeats the abusive patterns he suffered as a child, but with a crucial distinction.

Throughout the novel, Victor holds onto resentment towards his father, but the story concludes with him finally breaking this pattern by offering an apology and acknowledging the Creature as his son. Though this brings a sense of hope, it’s a tragic moment as Victor dies shortly after. This resolution, however, comes only after the deaths of both Claire and Elizabeth. While Victor deeply loved his mother, he couldn’t protect her, and his grief ultimately leads to the accidental death of Elizabeth. The actor playing both Elizabeth and Claire highlights the repeating pattern of violence and mistreatment, and it’s ultimately Victor Frankenstein’s pride that arguably causes these unnecessary deaths.

While Guillermo del Toro expanded the story with new characters, his choice to have Anya Taylor-Joy play both Claire and Elizabeth brilliantly reflects a key aspect of Mary Shelley’s novel. The connection between these two women is understated in the book, but it’s evident that Victor Frankenstein saw them as linked. Elizabeth is presented as a ward of the Frankenstein family, and she takes on the responsibility of caring for Victor’s siblings – essentially passing on her maternal role. The novel also features a haunting dream where Victor sees Elizabeth transform into his deceased mother. Though del Toro doesn’t recreate these scenes exactly, casting Taylor-Joy in both roles effectively conveys the same underlying message. It’s a clever and skillful choice that elevates an already impressive adaptation.

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2025-11-13 18:37