“Oscar Isaac Laughs as Guillermo del Toro’s Dirty Spanish Joke Guides His ‘Frankenstein’ Role”

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In a set full of gothic imagery and grave themes, Oscar Isaac found himself cracking up at an unlikely moment — thanks to director Guillermo del Toro’s unique direction. While filming their upcoming version of Frankenstein, del Toro delivered an untranslatable, risqué Spanish joke about a mouse and a lion to trigger Isaac’s emotions. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes moment that feels straight out of a Nollywood blooper reel — when icons show their human, playful side.

On the set of Frankenstein, where dark labs, icy waves and stitched-together bodies might dominate the aesthetic, Oscar Isaac says one of his most memorable moments was anything but sinister. According to him, director Guillermo del Toro tapped humour — very adult humour — to shape Isaac’s performance as Victor Frankenstein. 

Isaac describes how del Toro, speaking in Spanish, would use metaphors that “are untranslatable” to English. One standout example: the director told the actor, “You’re the mouse that’s really excited about f**ing the lion for the first time.”* The visual? A tiny creature about to face something vastly powerful — just like Victor facing his creation. Isaac laughed, “I can play that… I’m really excited. I’m scared, but I’m excited.” 

It’s a direction technique unlike most — instead of telling Isaac to “be terrified” or “look ambitious”, del Toro crafted a mental image so vivid and strange it cut right to the emotional gut. The actor says the joke helped him understand the mixture of exhilaration and terror his character was navigating: creation, power, risk, obsession. And though the joke itself cannot be cleanly translated, the effect was durable.

This fits del Toro’s broader vision for the film. He’s not making a standard horror movie — he wants Frankenstein to feel emotional, mythic and filled with artistry. Isaac previously described the film as “the most fun I’ve ever had” despite its dark themes.  So yes, jokes on set. Strange, irreverent jokes. But beautiful moments too.

For fans of Nigerian entertainment, this kind of creative direction echoes when actors in our own industry share the “secret jokes” directors give to unlock a scene. For example, during the filming of Nollywood blockbuster Citation, director Kunle Afolayan told lead actor Gabriel Afolayan to imagine his character as “the angry father who forgot his umbrella in the rain” — a quirky line made the emotional scene work. These behind-the-scenes tools often go unseen by the public, but they shape what appears on-screen.

In the case of Frankenstein, Isaac says he and del Toro often spoke Spanish on set, lending an intimacy to their collaboration. The joke about the mouse and lion wasn’t just comic relief — it was a trigger for Isaac’s mindset in that early prologue scene, where ambition, fear and forbidden creation all collide. 

Despite the adult nature of the joke, Isaac seems grateful. He says the direction allowed him to lean into both fear and exhilaration at once — what the film’s premise demands. The monster in this version, played by Jacob Elordi, is described as “staggeringly beautiful” rather than grotesque, and Victor is envisioned as something of an artist as well as a surgeon.

 Conclusion

Oscar Isaac’s revelation about Guillermo del Toro’s risqué Spanish joke on the Frankenstein set doesn’t just make us laugh — it gives a rare window into how a major director unlocks a major performance. The scene behind the camera becomes as compelling as what’s on-screen. Whether you’re a film buff in Lagos or a casual Netflix-watcher in Abuja, it’s a reminder: even monsters have stories behind their making.