Veteran actor Richard Jenkins plays gay in his latest role in director Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water.

The 70-year-old Jenkins is best known for playing deceased patriarch Nathaniel Fisher in HBO's drama Six Feet Under.

In Shape of Water, Jenkins plays Giles, a closeted commercial artist and the best friend and neighbor of Elisa Esposito (played by Sally Hawkins). Set in 1961 Baltimore, the film follows Elisa, a mute custodian at a high-security government installation who befriends a sea creature being held at the laboratory.

Jenkins told The Washington Blade that describing the film's plot is difficult.

“I really enjoy listening to people trying to describe it, because it's really hard. It's a lot of things. It's a heist movie. It's a romance. It's a bit of a thriller. It's very funny in places,” he said.

“It's an adult fairy tale. It's about love. The phrase that comes back to me when I think about this movie is 'love is love.' For me, that's the theme of the whole film,” Jenkins added.

The movie won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and leads the Golden Globes with seven nominations, including an acting nomination for Jenkins.