Brendan Fraser On His Role In ‘The Whale’: “I Gave It Everything I’ve Got”

Darren Aronofsky returns to the Venice Film Festival this year with his first movie since 2017’s “mother!,” “The Whale.” There’s plenty to celebrate about the upcoming film. It’s the first film by Aronofsky in five years, A24‘s introduction to the Lido, and the return of Brendan Fraser as a leading man. But Fraser’s starring role in “The Whale” is unlike anything he’s ever done before, and meeting that challenge pushed the actor to new places with his art.

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In “The Whale,” Fraser stars as Charlie, a 600-pound obese man grappling with the loss of his lover who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. EW reports that Fraser opened up to Vanity Fair about the role’s inherent risks and how, in the second half of his career, the actor saw them as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “If there’s no risk, then why bother?” Fraser told VF, “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.”

Outside of the hours of wardrobe and costuming involved in the part, Fraser also did extensive research to prepare for becoming Charlie. He partnered with the Obese Action Coalition to understand the mental state people with higher body weight struggle with. “This may be the first and last time I ever do this again, so I gave it everything I’ve got,” he said of the role of Charlie, “And I did. That’s all I got.”

“The Whale” also stars “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink as Charlie’s Daughter, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Ty Simpkins, and Sathya Sridharan. Aronofsky’s new film adapts Samuel D. Hunter‘s 2012 play of the same name. The film also sees Aronofsky working again with frequent collaborators like editor Andrew Weisblum and director of photography Matthew Libatique.

As for Fraser, “The Whale” is the actor’s first leading role in nearly a decade. So, what should fans of him expect from this new performance? “This is certainly far removed from anything I’ve ever done,” Fraser told VF. “I do know it’s going to make a lasting impression.” Let’s hope Fraser as Charlie is the first of many roles as Fraser continues his very welcome comeback tour.

“The Whale” premieres at Venice on September 4, where it vies for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion. Follow The Playlist’s coverage of the festival here.