Thanks to Guillermo del Toro we’ve developed a strong liking for Doug Jones‘ work and now the actor is sharing a bit about the part he has in the director’s upcoming film ‘The Shape of Water.’ We’ve known for awhile that the time period puts this film sometime in the 60s during the Cold War. Beyond that, only that it has a “magical journey” involved which makes it almost sound like a spiritual successor to del Toro’s cult classic ‘Pan’s Labyrinth.’ However, now it seems to be a bit of a love story with a twist.
Much like Abe Sapien in ‘Hellboy’ we’re going to see Doug Jones playing a “fish man” of sorts while we also see Sally Hawkins playing a cleaning lady who will be relevant to the story. It seems she cleans in a government facility where Jones is being held for study and experimentation.
According to Jones:
“My character is…even if I’m not in every scene, they’re talking about me when I’m not there. I am the focal point of the whole movie. They’re all having interactions because of me. It is one of the most gorgeous stories I have ever been a part of. And it was filmed beautifully. The art direction for the era – the cars, the clothes, the hair, the sets – it’s very Del Toro and very gorgeous.
Our central character is Sally Hawkins who plays a very sympathetic character, a woman you’re just going to fall in love with. What she goes through…you’re going to be rooting for her every step. It’s a classic Del Toro movie where we root for an underdog in very impossible circumstances, and I’m a part of all of that in a very, very integral way. So without giving it all away, I think I just gave it all away.”
Of his character, we know that Jones has previously stated:
“I’m a fish man that’s kind of a one-off. I’m an enigma; nobody knows where I came from; I’m the last of my species, so I’m like a natural anomaly. And I’m being studied and tested in a U.S. government facility in 1963, so the Russian Cold War is on, the race for space is on, so there’s all that backdrop and that undercurrent. I’m being tested for how can they use me for advantages in military or space travel or my technology—can we make this usable for humans? So they’re trying to keep me a secret from the Russians.”
As the last of his species and during the Cold War it would, of course, be in the United States best interest to keep him alive during these experiments. If anything, what they can learn from him or his species might somehow be paramount in helping the US Military Complex. Just having Guillermo make the film would have had me interested but with Jones in the lead, you’d have to be excited if you enjoyed their past working relationship from the ‘Hellboy’ franchise as well as ‘Pan’s Labyrinth.’
Are you excited to see ‘The Shape of Water?’ Share your thoughts on what we’ve learned about the series below!
‘The Shape of Water’ is due in theaters in the second half of 2018.
Source: Slash Film
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
