The Whale Director Says He Searched for Obese Actors Before Casting Brendan Fraser: 'Impossible'

Courtesy of A24 Brendan Fraser in The Whale (2022)

The Whale director Darren Aronofsky said the search for an obese actor to star in the movie became a "crazy chase" before Brendan Fraser was ultimately cast.

"There was a chapter in the making of this film where we tried to research obese actors," Aronofsky, 53, told Variety in a cover story published Wednesday, addressing backlash over Fraser portraying a 600-lb. man in The Whale. "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-lb. actor, is a 300-lb. actor or 400-lb. actor enough?" Aronofsky added.

Aronofsky added that "from a health perspective, it's prohibitive," saying, "It's an impossible role to fill with a real person dealing with those issues."

RELATED: Brendan Fraser Gets Emotional During 5-Minute Standing Ovation for The Whale in London

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The Whale, written by Samuel D. Hunter and based on his play of the same name, stars Fraser as Charlie, a reclusive writing instructor who tries to repair his relationship with his daughter (Stranger Things star Sadie Sink) as his health begins to fail.

While Fraser, 53, appears to be an early favorite this awards season, some have expressed concern over his casting as an obese man and whether the film's title is intended as an insult. However, Hunter told Variety the title is intended to refer to Charlie's obsession with "a particular paper on Moby Dick."

"The title deliberately pokes at some people's prejudices," Hunter said. "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."

Benedict Evans for Variety Brendan Fraser and Darren Aronofsky for Variety

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Hunter, who is gay and drew on his own life experience when writing the story, explained that The Whale "is not a story about everybody who grapples with obesity."

"It's how it presented in me. My depression manifested physically as I self-medicated with food. Fortunately, I had support in my life," Hunter told Variety. "I had parents who loved me, and I was able to deal with some of my demons and go to therapy and become a healthier person. But The Whale is about a person who didn't have that support system."

Fraser himself said he spoke with people who have experienced struggles with eating issues about their diet and "how obesity had affected their lives in terms of their relationships with loved ones" to prepare for the role.

"It was heartbreaking, because very often these people were mocked and made to feel awful about themselves. Vindictive speech is painful," Fraser told the outlet. "And it does damage because it feeds into the cycle of overeating. I just left those conversations thinking, 'Hey, this is not your fault. This is an illness. This is an addiction.' "

"I don't want to call out colleagues by name," Fraser added of how obese characters are treated in other films. "But a lot of those movies are one-note and depict obesity with crude jokes."

RELATED: Daniel Franzese Vents Frustration Over Brendan Fraser's Casting in The Whale: 'Why Wear a Fat Suit?'

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In September, Mean Girls actor Daniel Franzese told PEOPLE he felt he "and the other big queer guys" often go overlooked for roles similar to Fraser's in The Whale.

"I love Brendan Fraser, [so] I'm very conflicted," Franzese, 44, said of his thoughts on praise Fraser has received for his performance. "Seeing him get up so modest in Venice and have that moment, I was very happy for him. He's a lovely man. And it's great. But why? Why go up there and wear a fat suit to play a 400-lb. queer man?"

Franzese went on to say that "actors like me and my colleagues" would "jump at" the opportunity to star in a movie like The Whale.

"To finally have a chance to be in a prestige film that might be award-nominated, where stories about people who look like us are being told? That's the dream," Franzese said. "So when they go time and time again and cast someone like Brendan Fraser, me and the other big queer guys, we're like, 'What the ... ?' We can't take it!"