One of the fixed films for the Oscar 2023 is The whale by Darren Aronofsky, where brendan fraser he plays Charlie, a 600-pound recluse who watches his life slip away in the confines of his two-bedroom apartment.
As his health deteriorates, Charlie tries to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), who hates him with every fiber of her being. Written by Samuel D. Hunter, who also wrote the play that inspired the film, The Whale is a tragic portrayal of grief as a man seeks to come to terms with his past. It’s an incredible performance from Fraser, whose revival could end with the line, “And the Oscar goes to…”
In an interview with Digital Trends in English, Fraser explains the importance of telling an authentic story about addiction and disease. Additionally, Fraser shares what message he hopes the audience will take away from the film.
Digital Trends: Brendan, you mentioned that you didn’t know much about the movie or the play in your initial meeting with Darren. I don’t think you even had a script to read. When you started to learn more about the project in that initial meeting, what caught your attention?
Brendan Fraser: That we would be creating this character in a way that hasn’t been done in movies before. To specify, he is a man whose body weighs hundreds and hundreds of pounds. It would require, either myself or any other actor, wearing a costume, makeup, and gadget applications to create that person authentically.
I’ve seen a lot of movies where suits were used to gain weight, and this is not one of those. This respects gravity and physics and was created through a digital process from which molds could be printed, so there was absolute consistency. Very little digital treatment was done to create Charlie.
That was a character about a physical challenge. Darren didn’t know if he was going to make the movie or not just based on those elements because if you’re wrong, we don’t have a movie. We don’t have a movie if the first makeup test wasn’t right in that frozen meeting at the Protozoa offices when we first donned it all.
If it was wrong, you can’t do it, but that wasn’t the case. And once we get that, then it’s just a matter of addressing the story points, rehearsing like we did for three weeks, and doing our best to approach the piece with as much authenticity and vulnerability as we can muster.
Brendan, it’s no secret that this performance is going to be a big contender this awards season, and I admire that you’re talking openly about how this is your chance, and you owe it to yourself, the film, and the fans to really go. for her.
Fraser: This is a story about a man who could otherwise be so easily fired, and sadly is so often. We as a society have a long way to go, and I think this is a good start to improve the way we speak. [y] we consider those who live with obesity, which is a disease and often the cause is addiction. I learned that from working with the Obesity Action Coalition and the advice they gave me, and I earned their trust and have taken responsibility for dealing with the issue with dignity and respect.
I could do it because of the strength of the filming on this story. As for my greatest hope, I think we can do better. Anyone who walks into this movie, by the end of the story, I’m pretty sure they’re going to rethink or refocus any beliefs or biases they may have held before going into this movie. The greatest hope we have is possibly to change some hearts and minds.
Well, I think you did just that.
Fraser: I have to do what I can to support that.
The Whale It was released in theaters on December 9..
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