Doug Jones: Amphibia Allure

Over the last decade working on FH, I have featured the male form depicted in many variations, styles and methods. I have featured the male form visually created and captured in photographs, drawings, sculptures and in cartoon form. Although I have included a few sexy beasts and monsters, I believe this to be my first male physique in the form of an amphibian.


Like Sally Hawkins character Elisa, (and maybe Richard Jenkin's Giles...) the attraction of The Shape of Water's Amphibian Man is both powerful and avoidable. Although the reviews I read were stellar, I still for some reason wasn't really drawn to see Guillermo del Toro' award winning film. Sometimes peer pressure is a good thing, I feel in love with both the love story, the performances and actor Doug Jones beautiful turn as The Amphibian Man.


I want to say Jones made his water dwelling creature almost human like, but most humans don't rise to the level of beauty and humanity his character manages to reach. Jones connection to his role comes from both his personal experiences growing up, and his decades of emoting from behind rubber, latex and make-up. The attraction begins with those eyes, but quickly moves to the soul.

On the set of Pans Labyrinth (2006)

'As a teenager in high school myself I felt that I was an absolute monster. I didn't fit in with the pretty kids, the football players, the whatevers. I was a gangly cross country runner who had to do armpit farts to get people to laugh at him. So I felt like a monster within. So playing now monsters on film, I can find the sympathy and the beauty in them.'

Hocus Pocus (1993)

It's always to be introduced to actor, as I was with Jones in this film, only to realize he has been apart of your love of film for years. I remember actually thinking Billy Butcherson was sort of cute when seeing his try to terrorize in the grave yard in 1993's Hocus Pocus. Jones also appeared in one of my favorite episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, playing one of 'The Gentlemen' in Hush, one of the shows most acclaimed episodes.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer  (1999)

Jones has been been having us humans look at monsters, aliens, mummies, clowns and Silver Surfers's since the late 80's, including most recently as Saru, and Kelpien Starfleet officer on board the USS Discovery on Star Trek Discovery. Now that I have discovered the beauty and talent of Doug Jones, I will be looking at my monsters, a little differently, and a little more closely.


'That's the beauty of the story. I love the underdog-coming-out-on-top thing that Guillermo often plays on. Empowering all of us, really. No matter how flawed and other than normal we feel, that we've been told that we are throughout our lifetime, his movies have a way of empowering us to find the beauty in being other than mainstream. It's gorgeous, monsters are beautiful'.