The Whale writer says Brendan Fraser film shows 'opposite' side of Hollywood fatphobia
The Whale writer Samuel D. Hunter doesn't see criticism for his characterization of a 600-pound gay man struggling with life-threatening obesity as a challenge to the film's success. Instead, he sees the movie as an opportunity to show audiences a portrait of humanity Hollywood rarely explores.
"I wrote this play [upon which the movie is based] because I felt like I'd never seen this story told," Hunter exclusively tells EW of the film, which stars Brendan Fraser as a dying professor, Charlie, who spends his remaining days attempting to reconnect with his estranged, emotionally scarred daughter, Ellie (Stranger Things' Sadie Sink). "I wanted to write this character from a place of love and write a character who had this unwavering faith in human beings as his life was kind of falling apart around him."
Because Fraser is not a 600-pound person, some have spoken out against his performance and the use of prosthetic enhancements to transform his body for the part, while others have called the overall film fatphobic for its depiction of Charlie's condition.
A24 Brendan Fraser in 'The Whale'
"I understand why people have some of those reactions because, look, the history of portraying people suffering with obesity in cinema is not good, they are fundamentally objects of derision or jokes, or they're completely one-dimensional. I understand when presented with this at face value, a lot of people have a reaction," Hunter — who previously brought Charlie's story to the stage in his 2013 play — observes. But he also introduces the idea that The Whale is "an invitation" for viewers "to walk in this door and be with this guy" as an exercise in empathy and compassion.
"I think you kind of have to take the invitation, you know what I mean? You have to walk in the door," he finishes. "If you meet that invitation with a furrowed brow, then we're kind of at an impasse. But, if you do take that invitation and go inside, I think you'll find that this is the diametric opposite of the way obesity has traditionally been portrayed and dealt with in cinema."
In an interview published on Wednesday, director Darren Aronofsky revealed that he initially searched for an obese actor to play Charlie, though he ultimately grew concerned about casting someone with Charlie's health complications.
"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?" the Requiem for a Dream helmer told Variety, later adding: "From a health perspective, it's prohibitive. It's an impossible role to fill with a real person dealing with those issues."
The Whale — also starring Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins — debuts Dec. 9 in theaters via A24.
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