‘The Whale’: Brendan Fraser Didn’t Feel ‘Qualified’ to Learn 1 Heartbreaking Reality During His Research for the Role
Actor Brendan Fraser gives his all in his performance for The Whale. He put a whole lot of research into playing the role. As a result, Fraser is dominating the Oscar conversation for the Best Actor category. However, the star didn’t feel entirely “qualified” when he was doing the preparation work for the part and talking to people who deal with the film‘s issues in real life.
Brendan Fraser plays a 600-pound man in ‘The Whale’
The Whale follows a 600-pound man named Charlie (Fraser), who’s a recluse living alone in his apartment. His best friend and nurse, Liz (Hong Chau), checks up on him to help him the most that she can. However, she advises Charlie against his daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), visiting because it’s bad for his health. The teenager holds resentment against her father for abandoning her and her mother (Samantha Morton) for a man.
Director Darren Aronofsky returns to feature filmmaking with The Whale. It’s his first movie since 2017’s Mother!, which starred Oscar-winning actor Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role. His 2022 release continues to tackle difficult and uncomfortable subject matter.
‘The Whale’ actor Brendan Fraser didn’t feel ‘qualified’ doing the research
Fraser told Interview Magazine that “all of” The Whale stuck with him since filing it. He explained that he continues to think about Charlie frequently. The actor went through extensive research to prepare for the role, including interviewing folks over Zoom through the Obesity Action Coalition. Fraser described it as “a place where families and people who live with people who are obese, or are obese, can go to when they need health services, referrals, everything. It’s a wonderful organization.”
However, nothing could have prepared him for the “honest” stories that he would hear that left him questioning if he was “qualified” to hear this information. Nevertheless, they continued to share them with him. As a result, Fraser found that they all had something “heartbreaking” in common.
“There was someone in their youth who was very cruel to them by the way they spoke to them, and it set in motion the rest of their life,” Fraser said. “Sadly, it most often was a father, I noticed. So when I learned that, I was like, ‘Well, I’ve got to try and do something to break that cycle.’ And if this is what I can contribute, that’s good enough for me.”
Some critics find the film offensive
Fraser earned a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival premiere for The Whale. However, the film itself proved to be a bit more divisive than the performance. Some praised it for its ability to dive into such dark themes, while others slammed it for feeling insincere and manipulative.
Nevertheless, Fraser continues to earn Oscar buzz for playing Charlie in The Whale. He poured his entire heart and soul into the performance, but he also did the necessary research to further understand the character and his hardships.
