MOVIE NEWS – Brendan Fraser also says he has a newfound respect for people of similar body types after wearing prosthetics to appear 200kg in The Whale.

Taking on the lead role in The Whale was a physical transformation for Brendan Fraser, who recently opened up about the experience. In the film, Fraser plays a 200-pound man who wants to reconnect with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink), after leaving her family years earlier to start a new life with her gay lover. After its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, The Whale opens in US theaters on December 9, 2022.

According to Variety , Fraser spoke about the film at a press conference in Venice promoting the premiere. Fraser spoke about the challenges of adding hundreds of pounds to his weight with a prosthetic suit used to make the actor appear heavier on screen. By the end of filming, she found herself really empathizing with those who have a body similar to her character’s.

“I developed muscles I didn’t know I had. I even felt dizzy at the end of the day when all the equipment was taken off; it was like stepping out of the harbor onto a ship in Venice. It’s the feeling [of the waves]. I respected those who had similar bodies. You have to be an incredibly strong person, mentally and physically, to inhabit that physical being.”

Director Darren Aronofsky also spoke about Fraser’s role in The Whale. The filmmaker explained that the story takes the old adage “never judge a book by its cover” further.

“The saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover is a very big theme in this movie. You can’t judge any character by their first impression. I found it very inspiring how Charlie, the English teacher, keeps encouraging his students to they find the honesty and truth to show beyond the cover.”

Darren Aronofsky says Brendan Fraser is perfect for The Whale

It was not easy for Darren Aronofsky to cast the lead role in The Whale. The director revealed that he tried to imagine as many different movie stars as he could think of for the role, but only realized he was seeing his Charlie when he saw Fraser in a trailer for an indie film. A subsequent meeting with the actor sealed the deal.

“I considered everybody – all kinds of different actors, all the movie stars in the world. But none of them really ‘clicked’. It just didn’t move me or feel right. A couple of years ago I watched a trailer for a Brazilian film, a low-budget [film] , and when I saw Brendan in the trailer, the light bulb went on. I hadn’t seen Gods and Monsters or George of the Jungle. When I saw him in it, it just clicked. I asked Brendan to come to me… it just clicked.”

Since Fraser also happens to be one of Hollywood’s most beloved celebrities, his casting is likely to sell a lot of tickets for the film, which is another nice bonus. A24 will release the movie The Whale on December 9, 2022.