Brendan Fraser Says ‘The Whale’ Wasn’t His Comeback: ‘I Was Never That Far Away’
With his starring role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, Brendan Fraser is back in the public eye for the first time in years. While many consider this a comeback for the actor, Fraser is quick to point out he “was never that far away.”
Brendan Fraser ‘kept the faith’ when the COVID-19 pandemic postponed ‘The Whale’
Fraser plays the lead in The Whale, starring as Charlie, an overweight man trying to mend fences with people before he dies. The actor sat down with friend and former co-star Adam Sandler for Variety’s Actors on Actors to talk about his role and how he prepared for the movie.
He shared that Aronofsky, who directed the movie, reached out to him in January 2020. Soon after, the world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Whale faced an indefinite hold.
“I kept the faith,” Fraser said of that time. “But I’ve seen the ship sail plenty of times before, and I don’t take it personally.” Aronofsky texted him a few months later with links to research he needed to do for the character, which is how Fraser knew The Whale was a go.
“I had an equal part panic attack and felt calmly overjoyed,” the actor said of hearing that he would be starring in the movie. The actor also addressed some controversy surrounding the plotline about an obese man. Many are upset that Fraser wore a fat suit for the role. Critics think the movie doesn’t handle its subject matter in a respectful manner.
Fraser emphasized that his character’s weight was never the butt of “a mean joke” and stated it was important to him to get this role right because “there are those who live with this disease.”
“I felt empowered to be their voice and to be as honest as I could and as authentic as I could in the portrayal,” the actor said of his performance in The Whale.
Why Brendan Fraser says he ‘was never that far away’
Fraser mentioned the discussions about The Whale being a comeback for him as an actor, something he disagrees with.
The actor insisted “I was never that far away. I’ve always kept working, busy doing something. I would lose my mind if I wasn’t working.” His only explanation as to why people act like he was not acting during the last few years? The huge amount of TV and movies that get made each year, causing things to “slip off the radar.”
What will audiences see Brendan Fraser in next?
So, what are some of the projects that audiences have missed out on? Fraser is famous for roles in ’90s and early 2000s hits like The Mummy, Encino Man, and George of the Jungle. But he has regularly shown up in movies and TV shows throughout the years.
Fraser has appeared in at least one movie a year since 1992 and sometimes had a handful of movies released in the same year. For example, in 2013, Fraser had roles in six movies: Escape from Planet Earth, A Case of You, Hair Brained, Pawn Shop Chronicles, Breakout, and Gimme Shelter.
Some of his biggest roles over the past few years include Blast from the Past, Bedazzled, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Inkheart, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
With the success of The Whale, it looks like Fraser will have his pick of projects going forward. He already has some movies in the works, including Martin Scorsese’s next movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and the comedy Brothers, in which he’ll co-star with Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage.
