Brendan Fraser’s reason for working in The Whale is proof that he’s an absolute angel.
The actor popular for playing the daring Rick O’Connell in The Mummy trilogy has a new movie just a few days away from release, wherein he stars alongside the Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink besides Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton, and Hong Chau.
Based on Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the same name, The Whale is a psychological drama that is led by Brendan Fraser’s Charlie, an obese English teacher who is desperate to make amends and reunite with his estranged daughter, Ellie, the character that is played by Sadie Sink.
With the American-Canadian actor’s performance in it being emotionally striking and the storyline being deeply moving, early reviewers and critics are already singing high praise of the film. But that’s not the only thing about the film that will make you tear up because Brendan Fraser’s explanation behind taking over Charlie’s role is even more heartfelt.
Brendan Fraser Talks About His Experience as Charlie in The Whale
In a conversation with Collider about the Darren Aronofsky-directed film, Brendan Fraser shed light on the integration of Charlie’s character and why the representation of it was an important thing for him.
Besides contributing to the movie with this talented acting and sentiment-evoking performance, Fraser also ensured that he had a solid grasp of some of the real-life experiences of people battling with obesity, since Charlie, the lead character in the movie, is an obese gentleman. So, the Bedazzled actor got involved with the Obesity Action Coalition, a non-profit organization aimed at providing a voice to people who suffer from obesity, through which he was able to get great exposure.
“Those that I was in touch with gave me the most vulnerable and sincere stories, their testimonial about what their life [is] now, as it was when they were children, and what their hopes were. These [were] people who were possibly awaiting a bariatric procedure, who had one. At any rate, they were people who either had gone through a huge transition or they’re about to where they’re stuck somewhere in between. And for what I learned from them was we’re all just people at the end of the day. We all are.”
Fraser, 54, stated that his experience with the Coalition “definitely informed” him “who Charlie was,” as he explained how the story in the film brings us face-to-face with the realities of the world.
“And it’s difficult to connect with those that we love the most when we are confronted by [with] society does its very best to dismiss them. This is a story that lets us look inside Charlie’s apartment. It opens the door and invites us in to see who he is and the challenges he has. I felt that everything I learned by that consultation definitely informed who Charlie was.”
He further remarked that though The Whale is a much different film compared to the other projects he’d worked on in the past, “all those types of roles” he previously played that required him to “sell a character’s physicality,” helped him with Charlie’s character in this movie.
Brenden Fraser Reveals the Real Reason Behind Taking Up The Whale
When asked how his work in The Whale might influence other characters he’ll undertake in the future along with the new projects that he’ll be a part of, the School Ties actor revealed that his hope is to attach himself with “material that’s meaningful” to not only him and the people “creating it” but to a much larger audience. And his wholesome response is guaranteed to make you emotional.
“The hope is that you’ll find material that’s meaningful to not only everyone creating it, but your audience too. That can be a big ask sometimes when looking for something interesting to do. I just know that I feel I have been changed in a sense that I really want to work on projects that, honestly, I just care more about. I love to make people laugh. I love to have something exciting or interesting or innovative happen when I work on a film, but if there’s something there that can speak to a broader common humanity that we all share, I want to be a part of something like that.”
To put it simply, his main reason behind starring as Charlie was to more or less help make the world a better place. And it just proves how no other actor can top the level of compassion and purity that Brendan Fraser has.
The Whale will premiere in cinemas on December 9, 2022.
Source: Collider
