TO THE GILLS
Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape Of Water is no fish story…
Genre fave Doug Jones is having a busy year. In addition to his starring role in TV’s Star Trek: Discovery (p78), the actor has reunited with his frequent collaborator Guillermo del Toro for The Shape Of Water.
“I’m a fish man, a mutant,” Jones tells red Alert. “I’m the last of my kind. I was discovered in the Amazon river. I’ve been brought back to the US and I’m in a secret test facility, where they’re trying to figure out what I am, and use whatever I am in outer space. The setting is 1963, so the race for space with russia, and the cold War are on. Meanwhile, there’s a cleaning lady, played by Sally Hawkins. She’s cleaning in the lab where I’m being held hostage and dying slowly, because they’re ripping me apart one piece at a time. She can hear but she can’t speak, and she befriends me. We develop an affection for each other and have a beautiful non-verbal communication.”
While Jones says The Shape Of Water is reminiscent of classic monster movies like Creature From The Black Lagoon, he points out its major difference.
“This time the monster gets the chick,” he laughs. “Guillermo really specifically wanted to do that differently. That was bizarre and wonderful and beautiful to play out.”
The Shape Of Water will screen at the London Film Festival in October (see p20), and is released in the UK in February 2018.