Jacob Elordi is to star in and produce a new version of the movie The Executioner’s Song, but how much do you know about him? Here are some fun facts.
Good news for the legions of Jacob Elordi fans out there – it has been confirmed that he is to star in a new movie called The Executioner’s Song.
As revealed by Deadline, in The Executioner’s Song, Jacob will play the lead role as convicted murderer Gary Gilmore. The movie will be based on the original 1982 movie, which itself was adapted from Norman Mailer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, published in 1979. The movie will tell the true story of Gilmore, who, after being convicted of two murders, insisted on being executed for his crimes and fought the legal system that wanted to keep him alive and incarcerated. At the time, the story created a media sensation in the US.
This will also be the first time that Jacob is involved as a producer, rather than just a star. He has executive produced on other projects, but this time he will have a more hands-on role in the creative process.
But how much do you know about Jacob Elordi? Here are some facts you might not know.
A sports injury made him concentrate on acting
When growing up in his native Australia, Jacob had an interest in acting, but was also a talented sportsman, representing his state in age group sides for rugby union and basketball.
However, a serious back injury at age 15 convinced Jacob to concentrate more on acting. Indeed, he took acting classes and, after reading the classic play Waiting for Godot in drama class, acting became his “church”.
He moved to the US to pursue acting
After finishing high school, Jacob went to an acting school in Melbourne for a year. But Jacob was ambitious and, knowing roles were limited in Australia, decided to take a risk and moved to the US to try and make it as an actor.
He used to lie about his height to try and get acting jobs
Jacob is tall at 6′ 5” but he used to lie about his height after he was told he was too tall for acting. So for a while afterwards he used to shave two to three inches off his actual height when going for roles – saying that people didn’t really notice. His success shows that he was, in fact, not too tall for acting.
His first experience on a movie set was as an extra
After moving to the US, Jacob set his sights on Hollywood. He quickly managed to get work on a major movie – but as an extra. Next time you watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, keep an eye on the redcoats – you might just spot Jacob in amongst them.
Euphoria was his last shot at acting in the US
Jacob did have success relatively quickly in the US, starring in the Netflix romantic comedy film The Kissing Booth in 2018. While it wasn’t a hit with the critics, it was one of Netflix’s most-watched titles of the year and did bring him fame.
But after filming Kissing Booth, Jacob movie to Los Angeles and, having little money, would sometimes sofa surf a friend’s houses. In addition, his visa was expiring soon. Jacob decided to go for one last audition before heading back to Australia. However, that edition was for HBO show Euphoria – and he was cast as one of the main characters, Nate Jacobs. The rest is history…
He has turned down Superman
When DC was casting for its new Superman to star in the rebooted DC Extended Universe, Jacob was considered for the role but he turned it down, saying it was “too dark”, according to IMDB. Given the mixed reception the movie got – and the turmoil the project is in – that was an escape.
