Did Brendan Fraser Put On Weight for 'The Whale'?
There are two options for "fat" roles – either you go Chris Hemsworth mode, or you go Chrisitian Bale mode. No in-between.
Brendan Fraser 's character in 'The Whale ' is quite different from the actor himself. The movie follows the story of an English teacher who suffers from severe obesity issues, and in order to portray him properly, Fraser could have either gained weight himself or used prosthetics.
Naturally, Fraser decided not to torture his body that much and instead of putting on all that weight opted for convenient technology of a metamorphic prosthetic suit. Still, it was quite challenging for him, but the actor was ready for this challenge.
"If there's no risk, then why bother?" Fraser told Vanity Fair. "I want to learn from the people I'm working with at this point in my career. I've had such variety, a lot of high highs and low lows, so what I'm keen for, in the second half of my time doing this, is to feel like I'm contributing to the craft and I'm learning from it. This is a prime opportunity. I wanted to disappear into it. My hope was that I would become unrecognizable. I wanted to know what I was capable of."
Fraser says he immediately fell in love with his prosthetic suit the minute he saw it. According to the actor, it belonged in London's Tate Modern museum because of how "beautiful" and "arresting" it looked.
In 'The Whale', Fraser portrays Charlie, an English teacher trying to deal with his obesity and also grasp his chance at reconnecting with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink ) "for one last chance of redemption". He uses eating as a coping mechanism as he struggles with guilt for abandoning his family for a gay lover who would later die.
It's relatively early, but 'The Whale' is already getting some Oscars buzz, what with the movie opening in theaters in December – right on time to actually being eligible for the Academy Awards campaign. Fans who've been missing Brendan Fraser for years are now hoping for him to get at least some recognition, be it Golden Globes or the Oscars, calling for "Fraserissance" to finally happen. Some, however, are pointing at the obvious:
"Mad how he couldn’t get a job when he put on weight, when he got back into shape they’ve given him a role and put him in a fat suit." - @AlexJVCochrane
The movie premiere is scheduled for September 4.