"The Whale" producer Jeremy Dawson defended his decision to cast Hollywood star Brendan Fraser for the lead role as a gay college professor struggling with depression and morbid obesity in the 2022 drama.
"The key thing for us was to show somebody who was just a human who had things he was dealing with, that we would want to have empathy and love for him at the same time, as [well as] understanding, empathy and love for all these other characters he’s interacting with," Dawson told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview this month.
"Sam [film writer Samuel D. Hunter] had extrapolated out from some of his own personal experiences and kind of took it from there. We just want to be honest and truthful," he added, continuing by saying, "This is a film that takes place with one guy in one apartment; it’s not something that’s supposed to encompass all the potential angles of stories out there. There are a lot of people with a lot of different experiences in different body types."
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Fraser, known for classic roles in films like "The Mummy" franchise, put on a fat suit to capture the character of Charlie – a 600-pound man who, in the film, is trying to make amends with his daughter Ellie (portrayed by "Stranger Things" star Sadie Sink) during his final days.
While some were glad to see Fraser take on the role, some critics said they preferred to see Charlie portrayed by someone who has dealt with the struggles of morbid obesity firsthand.
"Darren considered everybody, and over different phases of the film, different people and ideas were looked at," Dawson told The Hollywood Reporter, asserting that he and Fraser, along with director Darren Aronofsky and writer Samuel D. Hunter gathered real-world perspectives and experiences from those struggling with obesity and even worked closely the Obesity Action Coalition during the filmmaking process.
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"Ultimately, he just wanted to find the best person who’s going to do this and do it in a respectful manner. You’re always going to have different reactions to everything."
Aronofsky defended the film against "fatphobia" criticism in December, telling Yahoo! Entertainment that the criticism surrounding the movie's depiction of the way obesity affects those with the condition as well as casting Fraser "makes no sense" to him.
"Actors have been using makeup since the beginning of acting — that's one of their tools, and the lengths we went to to portray the realism of the make-up has never been done before. One of my first calls after casting Brendan was to my makeup artist, Adrien Morot. I asked him, 'Can we do something that's realistic?' Because if it's going to look like a joke, then we shouldn't do it," he said.
Aronofsky added that most obese characters were formerly portrayed as "bad guys or as punchlines" and he sought to undo those cinematic stereotypes with the film and Fraser's character.
"We wanted to create a fully worked-out character who has bad parts about him and good parts about him; Charlie is very selfish, but he's also full of love and is seeking forgiveness," he continued, adding, "Brendan Fraser is the right actor to play this role, and the film is an exercise in empathy."
Despite criticism, the film has aspirations for this year's Academy Awards, including nominations for Brendan Fraser for Best Actor, Hong Chau for Best Supporting Actress and crew members Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
The ceremony, hosted by late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, is set for March 12.
