Here’s What the Fish Man From The Shape of Water Looks Like In Real Life

[Ulquiorra]

The Shape of Water is about so much more than the fish sex everyone’s been talking about since the film’s release. Don’t get me wrong. The scene is incredibly moving and gorgeous – so much that you briefly forget about the fact that Elisa (Sally Hawkins) floods her bathroom to make this happen. Sure, the movie is up for 13 Oscars this year (including Best Picture and Best Director), but let’s give some love to the man behind the fish guy!

 

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Officially billed as “Amphibian Man/The Asset” in the movie, the fish guy is played by Doug Jones, a name you’ve probably never heard of until now. His face, however, is one you should be familiar with if you’ve seen any of the following: Batman Returns (he played the Thin Clown), Pan’s Labyrinth (he played the Faun and the Pale Man), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (he was the Silver Surfer), and Hellboy (he played Abe Sapien), just to name a few. Over three decades, Jones has appeared in more than 150 movies and TV shows, often playing characters that require a ton of makeup and latex.

 

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Getty

Speaking to NPR, Jones recently said of his unique line of work, “The further you get from human, the harder it's going to be. When you're trying to survive a day, and you hear the word 'action,' you have to forget that you're in pain, forget that you're sweating into your own eyeballs behind your mask and just click into 'This is a natural beast that came from whatever fantasy or nature. It's not a guy in a suit.’” Of The Shape of Water, he said, "For me, this movie is about love being possible no matter how flawed and ugly we think we are… When you're a kid going through those awkward monster years, when you feel like you are the creature in the room that nobody understands and you look different from anyone else and love will not be possible for you, when you feel that way, you also feel like you're the only one who has ever felt that way. But I'm glad. I'm thankful that I had the experience of feeling like a monster because when I play monsters now, I understand them. I can relate to them."