“I was having lunch and [Frankenstein director] James Whale sent either the first assistant or maybe it was his secretary over to me, and asked me to join him for a cup of coffee after lunch, which I did. He asked me if I would make a test for him tomorrow. ‘What for?’ I asked. ‘For a damned awful monster!’ he said.

Of course, I was delighted, because it meant another job, if I was able to land it. Actually that’s all it meant to me. At the same time I felt rather hurt, because at the time I had on very good straight makeup and my best suit - and he wanted to test me for a monster!” 

-Boris Karloff, on being offered the role of Frankenstein’s monster (via)