Casting Brendan Fraser in The Whale was clearly the right call for director Darren Aronofsky. The actor’s involvement has created great hype for the film ahead of its wide theatrical release, and with its early reviews, The Whale has been generating Oscar buzz for Fraser. He was just recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the film, even if we shouldn’t expect him to attend the ceremony.
But finding the perfect star to lead the film wasn’t an easy task for Aronofsky. In a new interview with Deadline, the filmmaker reflects on the lengthy process of getting The Whale made, going back a decade. One of the film’s biggest challenges was with finding an actor who could portray Charlie, the 600-pound recluse at the center of the story, in the way that Aronfosky had envisioned. As the director explains, it took ten years of considering pretty much every other actor in Hollywood until he just happened to catch the trailer for a foreign film featuring Fraser. At that moment, everything clicked.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Aronofsky also explained how something else that was appealing about Fraser is that he still hadn’t yet shown off everything in his toolbox as a dramatic actor, unlike some others in Hollywood who filmgoers may come to expect a certain kind of performance from.
The Whale Could Very Well Win Brendan Fraser the Oscar
A24
Samuel D. Hunter, who also created the stage show that The Whale is based on, penned the screenplay for the feature film adaptation. Jeremy Dawson and Ari Handel produced with Aronofsky. Along with Fraser, the film stars Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton.
The Whale is playing in select theaters in Los Angeles and New York, and it will open up nationwide on Dec. 21, 2022. You can watch the official trailer below.
