'Wolf' star George MacKay spent months 'crawling around and howling' to get into character as a man with 'species dysphoria'

• George MacKay plays Jacob, a man with "species dysphoria" in the new film "Wolf."
• MacKay told Insider he spent months "crawling around and howling" like the animal for the role.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the ending of "Wolf."

George MacKay said that his character in "Wolf" is at his "most true and wild self" when he's naked in the forest.

The movie, released December 3, tells the story of Jacob, who has "species dysphoria" and believes he's a wolf trapped in a man's body.

Jacob often crawls around on all fours and howls at night. His parents send him to a treatment facility run by a strict doctor (played by Paddy Constantine) where he meets other patients with species dysphoria, including Wildcat (played by Lily-Rose Depp).

In the opening scene, viewers find a naked Jacob wandering around in the forest as struggles to distance himself from his "wolf self."

Speaking with Insider ahead of the film's release in November, MacKay explained that the sequence with Jacob in the forest wasn't initially going to be the movie's first scene. The idea to start the film there came about when he was "rehearsing" his "wolf movement" and he "was crawling around with my shirt off."

The director Nathalie Biancheri, he continued, decided to have that be the opening because it's a great introduction to his character and also because "there's something really powerful about seeing a naked human body in the wild."

"It suddenly feels kind of right. This makes sense because that's how Jacob would be and how he wants to be," MacKay said. "And so it felt important that was seen in the film."

He added: "It just introduces you to where Jacob feels himself. It helps you to know Jacob, because you see him at his truest form, you meet him at his most true and wild self. And then you can, therefore, understand the struggle."

MacKay as Jacob is seen doing this "wolf movement" throughout the movie, often at night when there's no one around to shame him for doing so. He told Insider that he worked with a movement coach and watched "a ton of videos of wolves" to workshop his crawl.

The "1917" actor explained that he started his transformation into playing a wolf in a man's body by doing "meditative exercises" that helped him get into "the mindset of the animal" while letting go of the socialization "that makes us human."

During the pandemic, MacKay said he "crawled around for months and months and months every day, just working on all the movements and working on the howl."

"Suddenly, all those things that felt difficult suddenly just felt more comfortable," he said. "I always thought that was essential because his wolf state is where Jacob feels most at home, where he feels right.

He added that his goal was for Jacob "to look legitimately comfortable in that position rather than struggling around."

The movie ends exactly how it started — with Jacob back in the forest after a tense scene where he escapes from the facility.

Wildcat, his closest friend and love interest, tries to run away with Jacob but ultimately cannot follow through on the plan. As the credits start rolling, Jacob's future remains uncertain.

During his chat with Insider, MacKay said he was drawn to "the imperfection of the ending."

He hopes the movie "demonstrates being true to yourself and for all that it costs," especially taking into account the uncertainty Jacob faces by venturing out into the forest alone.

As for where he thinks his character ultimately ends up, he guesses that, in the end, Jacob will go "further and further into his wolf self."

"It's double-edged in that there's a real triumph in him going the way that he goes, but also a sadness in what he leaves," MacKay said.