While there has been a lot of buzz about Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming drama The whalenot everything has been positive.
Earn star Brendan Fraser a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival premiere, The whale follows Charlie, a housebound morbidly obese man who struggles to reconnect with his daughter (Sadie Sink) after leaving his family for his gay lover years earlier.
While those who have seen the film think Fraser’s performance could earn the actor an Academy Award, some say he took an opportunity away from a truly overweight, queer actor.
“I love Brendan Fraser, [so] I am very confused. When I saw him so humble getting up in Venice and having that moment, I was very happy for him. He is a sweet man. And it’s great. But why? Why go up and wear a thick suit to play a 400lb. queer guy?” said mean girls’ Daniel Franzese, frustrated by Hollywood’s repeated decision to cast thinner actors in overweight roles.
“To finally have a chance to star in a prestigious film that might be an award-nominated, where stories are told about people who are like us? That’s the dream… I would have loved to read for this. I mean, who knows more about being an obese queer man than an obese queer man?”
Fraser responds to critics: ‘I am not a small man’
Despite criticism of the decision to cast him in the role of Charlie, Fraser says his sole focus was on giving the most honest performance possible – and that he doesn’t exactly consider himself a “little guy” to start with.
“I’m not a short man. And I don’t know what the benchmark is for eligibility to play the part. All I know is that I had to act as honestly as possible,” the actor told Newsweek, stressing that whoever is in played The whalemake-up and prosthetics would have been necessary to achieve the desired effect.
“There’s no way you can cast someone to play this job, so we had to use makeup to get there. Most of the people criticizing haven’t seen the movie. So I welcome everyone to see the movie, because the movie is about instilling empathy for characters you don’t expect to empathize,” he said.
Anyway, Fraser hopes so The whale will help change some perspectives in a still largely fat-phobic society.
“I’m hopeful that we can at least change some hearts and minds in terms of how we think and feel about those living with obesity. So often those people in our society are dismissed, or the object of contempt and ridicule, and it’s unfair to them I believe shaming people for that reason is almost the last domain of prejudice that we overlook, and I think we better change that. So I hope this movie catches some hearts and minds can change,” he added.