Netflix viewers have been left both confused and impressed after discovering that Mia Goth secretly plays two characters in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein. The gothic remake, starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the creature, premiered on Netflix on 8 November.
Fans were shocked to learn that Goth appears as both Baroness Claire, Frankenstein's mother in flashback scenes, and Lady Elizabeth Harlander, the fiancée of Victor's brother William. Many took to TikTok to express their surprise, with one viewer commenting: 'I recognised Mia immediately and then gas lit myself into believing it was a different actor playing Victor's mum.'
This is not the first time Goth has played a dual role; she also portrayed both Maxine Minx and the older Pearl in Ti West's X (2022). According to Netflix, Goth initially believed she would only play Elizabeth until early conversations with del Toro took an unexpected turn when she mentioned becoming a mother. 'In that moment, I saw Guillermo's eyes light up,' Goth said. 'He said to me that he hadn’t completely figured out who Elizabeth would be.'
The two characters are visually distinguished by colour: Claire wears deep reds, while Elizabeth's wardrobe features shades of green. Del Toro's adaptation weaves in elements from Mary Shelley's novel, including a dream sequence where Victor kisses Elizabeth and she transforms into his mother's corpse.
