Brendan Fraser has defended the use of a fat suit in his upcoming movie The Whale, stating that he's not exactly a "small man" himself.
Fraser stars as Charlie, a 600lbs man in the drama, but critics who've seen early previews have slammed the movie for its use of a weight-increasing prosthetic, also known as a fat suit.
The Whale is directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by playwright Samuel D. Hunter, who also wrote the play upon which the movie is based.
It is due out in movie theaters in the U.S. on December 9, 2022, but before that Fraser, Aronofsky and Hunter spoke to Newsweek from the UK premiere of The Whale as part of the BFI London Film Festival.
When asked about those who have critiqued the use of a fat suit in The Whale, Fraser told Newsweek: "I'm not a small man. And I don't know what the metric is to qualify to play the role. I only know that I had to give as honest a performance as I can."
The Whale is the eighth movie that Oscar-nominee Aronofsky has directed. He suggested that people should reserve judgment until they see the movie.
"There's no way you can cast someone to play this job, so we had to use makeup to get there," Aronofsky told Newsweek. "Most of the people that are playing critique have not seen the film. So I welcome everyone to see the film because the film is about bringing empathy to characters that you don't expect to feel for."
Based on Hunter's 2012 play The Whale, the story follows an obese man attempting to reconnect with his teenage daughter after he abandoned her as a child to be with his gay lover.
The movie has been playing at the festival circuit, with Fraser receiving numerous standing ovations from audiences as well as awards in Venice and Toronto.
He wants The Whale to change audiences perceptions of overweight people.
"I'm hopeful that we can change some hearts and minds at least in terms of how we think and feel about those who live with obesity," he said.
"So often, those people are dismissed in our society, or the object of scorn and derision, and it's unfair to them. I believe that shaming people for that reason is almost the last domain of prejudice that we overlook, and I think we can do better to change that. So I hope that this film might change some hearts and minds."
Creating Fraser's appearance in The Whale was partly accomplished with prosthetics as well as some post-shoot CGI. Oscar-nominated movie makeup creator Adrien Morot is credited with creating the prosthetics won by Fraser.
Despite the suit, which Fraser previously told Newsweek was "extensive" and "cumbersome," writer Hunter said his performance was deeper than the makeup layered on top of him.
"Part of it is that the camera can get so close that you can see Brendan telling the story with his eyes, which is such an incredible thing," he told Newsweek.
"Brendan has this ability to play so many different things simultaneously. He can play love and despair right next to one another."
The 2022 British Film Institute London Film Festival continues in the U.K. until Sunday October 16.
The Whale is currently scheduled for release in the U.S. on Friday December 9, 2022.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
