Actor Brendan Fraser, who is best known for his roles in films such as “George of the Jungle” and “The Mummy” trilogy, revealed that he was moved to tears when the audience at the Venice Picture Festival stood to applaud his film “The Whale” for a whole six minutes. After the final scene of the drama, directed by Darren Aronofsky, in which Brendan Fraser portrays a gay man who weighs 600 pounds and is a wheelchair user, the actor is filled with emotion.
People, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Nick Kroll, and Hillary Clinton staffer Huma Abedin were seen inside the Sala Grande Theatre. Abedin was placed a few rows behind Fraser and wept just as many tears as he did. Kroll was seated in the first row. According to ‘Variety,’ during the emotionally draining last parts of the movie, several other people in the theatre also pulled out their handkerchiefs.
During the standing ovation, Fraser gave Aronofsky multiple hugs and kisses. At one point, he attempted to exit the theatre. However, the volume of the audience’s applause was so intense that he remained for a more extended period and took a bow.
Sadie Sink, who rose to prominence in the Netflix series “Stranger Things,” plays Fraser’s daughter, who is 17 years old and lives with extreme obesity. The two have a difficult time reconnecting with one another. Hong Chau, Samantha Morton and Ty Simpkins are among the cast members that play minor roles. Aronofsky’s film is an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the same name. Hunter was the one who turned the play’s stage script into a feature film.
Fraser used a prosthetic costume that added anywhere from fifty to three hundred additional pounds depending on the scenario, to play the main character in the movie. To morph into the role, the actor would spend up to six hours daily in the makeup chair.
In an interview before the film premiere in Venice, Fraser stated that his prosthetic suit was “cumbersome and not exactly comfortable.” He said that the torso piece of the case was almost like a strait jacket with sleeves and was airbrushed by hand to look exactly like human skin, right down to the hand-punched hair.
During his time in the prosthetic suit, Fraser revealed to the media at the press conference in Venice that he developed muscles he was previously unaware he possessed.”When all of the equipment was removed at the end of the day, it was like walking off the pier into a boat in Venice and I even got a sense of vertigo due to the experience. This undulating quality exists. It helped me greatly appreciate others whose bodies are like mine. To occupy that physical being, you need to be an influential person both mentally and physically.”
Although Fraser had a supporting role in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘No Sudden Move last year, ‘The Whale marks a big comeback for the actor as it is his first starring role in a film since the action flick ‘Breakout’ in 2013, which was released directly to DVD. “The Whale” is a hugely anticipated film.
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” a western directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Appl, is next on Fraser’s schedule. Due to Warner Bros.’s decision to shelve the DC Comics blockbuster “Batgirl,” audiences will never get to watch his performance as Garfield Lynns/Firefly in the movie.
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