Actor Brendan Fraser details his transformation into a 600-pound man for his new film, The Whale. Since the early 90s, Fraser has cultivated a solid career in Hollywood with leading roles in Encino Man, Airheads, George of the Jungle, and Blast from the Past. Starring as Rick O'Connell in the 1999 action-adventure blockbuster, The Mummy, solidified him as one of Hollywood's top leading men at that time. However, following his divorce in 2013, Fraser stepped away from the industry to deal with personal matters. Now, the actor has returned to the big screen in award-winning writer-director Darren Aronofsky's latest film, The Whale.
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Based on writer Samuel D. Hunter's play of the same name, The Whale centers on a 600-pound man named Charlie (Fraser) who struggles to have a relationship with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) following his abandonment of his family. Rounding out the cast is Downsizing's Hong Chau as Liz, The Walking Dead's Samantha Morton as Mary, and Iron Man 3's Ty Simpkins as Thomas. The first images of Fraser in the upcoming film shocked with world with the actor's near-unrecognizable transformation into Charlie.
Now, Vanity Fair caught up with Fraser who detailed his transformation into the 600-pound Charlie for Aronofsky's latest film, The Whale. The actor explained that to complete the look he primarily wore prosthetics, admitting that there were very little visual effects added to his appearance. Fraser said that he wore a body suit that was "cumbersome, not exactly comfortable." The actor added, "The torso piece was almost like a straight jacket with sleeves that went on, airbrushed by hand, to look identical as would human skin, right down to the hand-punched hair." This required five to six hours of sitting in the makeup chair everyday, although the makeup department reportedly got that down to around one to three hours. Aronofsky also explained that Fraser's total costume was upwards of 300 extra pounds of weight during filming. Due to the fact that Charlie would remain seated for much of the story, Fraser needed several assistants to help move the actor to various locations around set. Fraser added, "I looked at other body suits that had been used in comedies over the years, usually for a one-note joke. Whether intended or not, the joke is, it defies gravity. This was not that."
Fraser's transformation for The Whale is an absolutely remarkable feat. Fraser and Aronofsky's description of the makeup process and the prosthetics coupled with the early images of the film show the care and skill of the makeup department that convincingly reshaped Fraser into a man hundreds of pounds heavier than the actor. Luckily, the role does not require much mobility from Fraser as attempting to haul around upwards of 300 extra pounds would be an incredibly daunting task.
With The Whale being an in-depth discussion of obesity as a disease, Fraser has the opportunity to bring forth a topic rarely depicted in Hollywood. Generally, body suits have been used in the industry as a way to punctuate a joke at fat person's expense and its use has recently faced criticism (see: Fat Thor in Avengers: Endgame). Through the use of Fraser's carefully-crafted prosthetics and makeup, The Whale aims to shed light on an issue in what the original playwright calls a resounding "call for empathy."