The Shape of Water | Searchlight Pictures

Sally Hawkins

as Elisa

"Not only was she the first choice, she was the only choice. I wrote the movie for Sally. I wanted the character of Elisa to be beautiful, in her own way, not in a way that is like a perfume commercial kind of way. That you could believe that this character, this woman would be sitting next to you on the bus. But at the same time she would have a luminosity, a beauty, almost magical, ethereal."

- Guillermo Del Toro
Michael Shannon

as Strickland

"I was drawn to the picture because it has qualities that might inspire people to be gentler with one another. It’s really a story about how it is worth having love in your life at any cost. Sometimes love requires you to face your fears, or to make sacrifices, but at the end of the day it's worth it."

- Michael Shannon
Richard Jenkins

as Giles

"The Shape of Water is not like anything else that I've ever done. It defies description."

- Richard Jenkins
Doug Jones

as The Asset

"He is one of the few guys who does creatures who is also a full-fledged dramatic actor. Often those are two separate gifts, but Doug has them both. He’s a fantastic actor with or without makeup. If you don't have an actor inside the creature’s suit, you don't have a movie – and Doug is not a performer, he’s an actor."

- Guillermo Del Toro
Michael Stuhlbarg

as Hoffstetler

"The Shape of Water has a huge soul and heart to it. It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of, in the best possible way."

- Michael Stuhlbarg
Octavia Spencer

as Zelda

"The Shape of Water is about discovery and love, releasing and finding your own inner strength, and the power of finding love in the most unusual places."

- Octavia Spencer

Guillermo Del Torro

Director

"Water takes the shape of whatever is holding it at the time and although water can be so gentle, it's also the most powerful and malleable force in the universe. That's also love, isn't it? It doesn’t matter what shape we put love into, it becomes that, whether it’s man, woman or creature."

- Guillermo Del Torro

From master story teller, Guillermo del Toro, comes THE SHAPE OF WATER - an other-worldly fable, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. Rounding out the cast are Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones.