The Real Reason Darren Aronofsky Made Brendan Fraser Wear A Prosthetic Suit In The Wale
Brendan Fraser was one of the most beloved actors back in the early 2000s. But after appearing in countless iconic movies, his career came to a sudden end, much to fans’ dismay. Fortunately, it seems that this great actor is finally getting his long-awaited comeback. Since 2018, Brendan Fraser has landed roles in movies and TV like HBO’s Doom Patrol.
Most recently, the George of the Jungle actor starred in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Although Brendan Fraser’s acting in this movie has been highly praised, there has also been plenty of criticism for having the actor use a prosthetic suit to play the leading role in this film.
The director of the film has recently responded to this criticism and defended the choice of casting Brendan Fraser in The Whale.
How Brendan Fraser’s Career Went Downhill
Despite starring in numerous successful movies, by the late 2000s, Brendan Fraser’s career took a turn for the worse. During those years, the actor only seemed to be cast in box office flops, including not-so-great movies like Monkeybone, Dudley Do-Right, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
Finally, by 2013, Fraser starred in Gimme Shelter and, after that, seemed to be no longer cast in any new roles.
Turns out that Brendan Fraser’s career went downhill for various reasons. Firstly, the actor was sexually assaulted by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Phillip Berk.
And when he tried to talk about the abuse he endured, this Hollywood mogul used his influence to blacklist him. In addition to this, Fraser had to deal with numerous health issues, because many of his past roles had taken a massive toll on his body.
Fortunately for Fraser and his fans, the actor has slowly made a comeback to Hollywood. In 2018, the actor managed to book a number of TV roles, he voiced Robotman on the animated series Titans, a role he reprised on HBO's Doom Patrol live-action series. And, most recently, he starred in The Whale.
Despite Not Having Being Released, The Whale Has Received Positive Ratings
The Whale (2022) is a psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky. Starring Brendan Fraser, this movie is based on Hunter's 2012 play of the same name about a man living with severe obesity who struggles to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter.
In addition to Fraser, the film also stars Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, Sathya Sridharan, and Samantha Morton.
The Whale premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 2022 and it’s scheduled to be released in theaters on December 9 of this same year. During its premiere, the movie, as well as Brendan Fraser, received a six-minute standing ovation.
Although the movie is yet to be released in theaters, The Whale already has a 71% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on the reviews from 90 critics. Most of the reviews are positive, with the website's consensus reading, "Held together by a killer Brendan Fraser, The Whale sings a song of empathy that will leave most viewers blubbering."
Why Darren Aronofsky Made Brendan Fraser Wear A Prosthetic Suit In The Wale
Preparing for this new role was no easy task for Brendan Fraser. To play the lead character in The Whale, Fraser wore a prosthetic suit that added 50 to 300 pounds depending on the scene he was playing. In addition to this, the actor would spend up to six hours in the makeup chair every day in order to fully transform into the character.
Although there has been some criticism for casting Brendan Fraser for this role, as well as for having the actor wear prosthetics to give life to this character, the director of the movie, Darren Aronofsky, has repeatedly defended this choice.
“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 that are playing critique have not seen the film. So I welcome everyone to see the film because the film is about bringing empathy to characters that you don't expect to feel for,” Aronofsky admitted (via Cinema Blend).
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