Darren Aronofsky says he 'tried to research' obese actors for The Whale before hiring Brendan Fraser
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Director Darren Aronofsky has revealed that he initially considered casting an obese actor in the role of a 600-pound gay man that eventually went to Brendan Fraser in his upcoming, Oscar-buzzed film The Whale.
"There was a chapter in the making of this film where we tried to research actors with obesity," Aronofsky told Variety in an interview published Wednesday. "Outside of not being able to find an actor who could pull off the emotions of the role, it just becomes a crazy chase. Like, if you can't find a 600-pound actor, is a 300-pound actor or 400-pound actor enough?"
He added that he also grew concerned over whether a 600-pound person living with the same health issues as Charlie, the lead character, would physically be able to perform in the production.
A24 Brendan Fraser in 'The Whale'
"From a health perspective, it's prohibitive," the Requiem for a Dream helmer continued. "It's an impossible role to fill with a real person dealing with those issues."
In the film, Fraser portrays Charlie, a queer man struggling through his final days as he deals with life-threatening obesity. In his last moments, Charlie attempts to reconnect with his ex (Samantha Morton) and estranged daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), all while under the care of his nurse and longtime friend, Liz (Hong Chau).
Since the film's run through the fall festival circuit — where Fraser received the best reviews of his career — many have also criticized the movie as fatphobic for its title.
"The title deliberately pokes at some people's prejudices," explained writer Samuel D. Hunter, who previously brought The Whale into the world as a stage play. "I wasn't surprised by the blowback, because of the history of the way that obesity is treated on film. And we live in cynical and reactionary times."
The Whale debuts Dec. 9 in theaters.
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