Back in the ’90s, Brendan Fraser starred in a bunch of very famous movies,from School Ties __ to The Mummy. Even though he had the chiseled physiqueof an action hero, there was always something about the Indianapolis-bornactor that set him apart from other leading men of that era. It was all in theeyes: Fraser’s expressive gaze carried a level of vulnerability thatencouraged audiences to root for him to escape from the most perilouscircumstances, be it boarding school prejudice or centuries-old monsters.
That vulnerability takes on a new form The Whale , the Darren Aronofsky-helmed drama that’s been attracting acclaim and controversy since it premieredat the Venice Film Festival in September. Based on the play by Samuel D.Hunter, the movie casts Fraser as a 600-pound English teacher named Charlie,whose world has shrunk to the size of the dingy apartment where he’s literallyeating himself to death. It’s one of the most challenging performances of hiscareer, and the actor tells Yahoo Entertainment that it took most of hisinspiration from a very personal source.
“A lot of it had to do with the love that I feel for my kids,” he reveals,referring to the three sons he shares with ex-wife, Afton Smith: Griffin,Holden and Leland. (In 2018, Fraser revealed that Leland, 16, is on the autismspectrum.)
Watch our interview with the cast of The Whale ** on YouTube**
Fraser wears extensive body and facial prosthetics for his role in The> Whale , and while those additions transform his physical appearance, they> also draw renewed attention to the emotive eyes that powered his vintage> grunge-decade performances. “He has such an innocence and beautiful charm in> those ’90s films,” agrees Aronofsky, who admits in a separate interview that> he hadn’t even seen School Ties until after collaborating with Fraser on> The Whale. “And here, he’s doing much more complicated character work.> It’s very moving to me.”
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For better and for worse, much of the pre-release publicity around _The Whale_has focused on Fraser’s transformed appearance. Not coincidentally, thatreflects the way that Charlie himself is viewed by others in the film, and theactor is intensely aware of how audiences may be quick to judge his characterby his size. “Charlie is not the person he presents,” Fraser says intently.”He’s not the person who we so often dismiss. He’s a man who lives withobesity, but he’s also a father and he’s also a teacher. He’s someone who canbring out the best in others even when they can’t see that in themselvesTragically, he can’t do that for himself.”
“It’s well-rounded character,” Fraser continues. “The empathy that I think weall felt shooting this movie and telling Sam Hunter’s story is somethingthat’s intensely personal to all of us.”
From left are Leland Fraser, Brendan Fraser and Holden Fraser at a New Yorkscreening of The Whale in November. (Photo: Taylor Hill/WireImage)
Despite Fraser’s sentiments, The Whale has already divided critics andaudiences, with one camp calling the movie’s portrayal of Charlie’s duty”wrenching,” and the other describing it as “abhorrent.” Many of itsdetractors also accuse Aronofsky of trafficking in “fatphobia” in the way itpresents a person affected by obesity. It’s a debate the director insists hedidn’t see coming when he first cast Fraser in the part.
“Actors have been using makeup since the beginning of acting — that’s one oftheir tools,” Aronofsky says. “And the lengths we went to to portray therealism of the make-up has never been done before. One of my first calls aftercasting Brendan was to my makeup artist, Adrien Morot. I asked him, ‘Can we dosomething that’s realistic ?’ Because if it’s going to look like a joke, thenwe shouldn’t do it.”
“People with obesity are generally written as bad guys or as punchlines,”Aronofsky continues. “We wanted to create a fully worked-out character who hasbad parts about him and good parts about him; Charlie is very selfish, buthe’s also full of love and is seeking forgiveness. So [the controversy] makesno sense to me. Brendan Fraser is the right actor to play this role, and thefilm is an exercise in empathy.”
Watch a clip from The Whale ** below**
In the film, it’s revealed that the roots of Charlie’s self-destructive habitstrace back to the passing of his lover, Andy, who starved himself to death.That’s when he retreated from the world — including his ex-wife, Mary(Samantha Morton) and their angry teen daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink) — andstarted down the path to his current state. As with many of Aronofsky’smovies, there’s a distinctly spiritual dimension to it The Whale andCharlie’s actions could be read as atoning for his perceived sin of lettingAndy die by becoming his own scapegoat as per Jewish tradition in the Torah.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I think that’s beautiful,” the directorsays when this interpretation of the movie’s Biblical themes is offered tohim. “One of the great things about Sam’s play is that it’s so layered, andthere’s always more meaning to it. I think the film is very grounded and real,but a lot of the ideas and emotions push towards a love that’s very pure andsimple And that’s something you can relate to the word ‘spiritual,’ but it’salso coming from an emotional place. I would say that’s something for eachviewer to decide for themselves.”
One of Charlie’s few remaining connections to the outside world is Andy’ssister, Liz (Hong Chau), a nurse who serves as his unwilling accomplice in hisown destruction. Chau says that Liz’s desire to take care of Charlier impactedher own real-life relationship with Fraser on set. “I did find myselfnaturally wanting to take care of Brendan,” she says, smiling. “You know, justmaking sure that his water bottle was somewhere close by so he could stayhydrated. Listen, I don’t know how anybody could talk to Brendan Fraser forfive minutes and not wanna hug him! He’s just a lovable human being .”
Fraser, from left, with Samuel D. Hunter, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau and DarrenAronofsky attend the world premiere of The Whale at the 2022 VeniceInternational Film Festival. (Photo: Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis/Corbis viaGetty Images)
Sink, meanwhile, had the unenviable task of having to be mean to Fraser dayafter day on set. When Ellie re-enters Charlie’s life, she makes it clearshe’s not willing to let her father off the hook for abandoning her, no matterthe state he’s in. Asked whether she sometimes felt like she had to apologizeto her co-star after delivering one of Ellie’s vicious put-downs, the_Stranger Things_ star looks over at him and laughs.
“Deep down, yes, I think I did,” Sinks says. “But just thinking about it fromEllie’s perspective, Charlie’s really challenging her because it’s the firsttime she’s really like met her match in a sense. She could tell him anythingand he’s seemingly unaffected by it — he even sees it as honest or smart. Idon’t think she’s ever faced someone who can like really see through thisarmor that she’s done a really impressive job of crafting. But those wordsweren’t Sadie’s though! Not at all.”
Fraser has clearly forgiven Sink for any and all teenage snark. “Sadie’s Elliehas a focused, beautiful rage,” he raves of his co-star’s performance. “She’sright to fell the way she does, and she appropriately advocates for herself.But Sadie also never fell into the trappings of an angsty teenager. Shebrought a focus to this performance that, when I watch it, I find somethingnew every time .”
“And Hong has an ability that is uncanny,” Fraser continues, keeping thecompliments flowing. “If you could put it in a bottle, you’d be a billionaire.She could say more in the pauses and the silences … than when she’s speaking.Darren likes to shoot a lot of takes, and he’d say to Hong, “Well, we’re hereanyway. What else you got? Show off for us.” And she would! I was there for itevery single time for what she brought.”
The Whale is playing in theaters now