Many fans are glad to have actor Brendan Fraser back in the spotlight. His new film The Whale has been receiving major accolades and many even consider Brendan Fraser’s performance to be Oscar-worthy. Unfortunately, it looks like some viewers have not felt the same way. In fact, some say that Brendan Fraser shouldn’t have been cast at all – forcing him to face backlash because he had to wear a fat suit for the film.
For example, actor, comedian, and activist Daniel Franzese had the following to say about Brendan Fraser via People:
“I guess you can go ahead and wear a fat suit and do what you got to do and get your Oscar. We’ll just sit here, waiting.”
Interestingly, Daniel Franzese did say he liked Brendan Fraser. He just did not like the decision to cast the fan-favorite actor for the film. Instead, Daniel Franzese felt that the role should have went to an LGBT actor that was already overweight.
“To finally have a chance to be in a prestige film that might be award-nominated, where stories about people who look like us are being told? That’s the dream,” he said. “So when they go time and time again and cast someone like Brendan Fraser, me and the other big queer guys, we’re like, ‘What the…?’ We can’t take it!”
This isn’t the first criticism for the movie, as it was called “dehumanizing” over the Summer:
Brendan Fraser is, yet again, another actor in a fat suit. This time for the movie “The Whale,” which is based on a play written by a thin white guy. One of the most dehumanizing depictions of a super fat person ever.
— Amanda Levitt (@FatBodyPolitics) July 27, 2022
Brendan Fraser has now responded to the criticism over the role, telling Newsweek:
“I’m not a small man. And I don’t know what the metric is to qualify to play the role. I only know that I had to give as honest a performance as I can.”
It’s worth noting that Brendan Fraser’s role in the film is that of a 600-pound man. So, with that in mind, most actors would probably require some kind of prosthetics to look the part. But because fat suits have become such a controversial part of filmmaking in recent years, it seems even Brendan Fraser has become a target of the backlash.
The Whale was directed by Darren Aronofsky with a screenplay that was written by Samuel D. Hunter. The film was also based on Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the same name.
In addition to Brendan Fraser, the film also stars Sadie Sink, who will be playing the daughter of Fraser’s titular character Charlie. The film also stars Hong Chau as Liz, Samantha Morton as Mary, Ty Simpkins as Thomas, and Sathya Sridharan.
The film is scheduled to receive a theatrical release in the United States on December 9, 2022.