Brendan Fraser objects to the term “fat suit” used to describe the outfit he wore for The Whale. A fat suit is a bodysuit that thickens an actor’s look; it’s frequently employed for humorous effect. Although The Whale doesn’t employ the outfit in a comedic manner, it was thought to be essential for authentically depicting Charlie. The Whale centers on Fraser, Sadie Sink from Stranger Things, Ty Simpkins, and Hong Chau and tells the story of Charlie, a 600-pound English teacher who wants to get back in touch with his daughter (Sink). Fraser’s seamless suit effectively conveyed the idea that director Darren Aronofsky and his team were looking for.
Brendan Fraser, who starred in The Whale, says he would never refer to the outfit he wore as a fat suit in a video interview with Deadline. Fraser emphasizes that in order to truly place Fraser in the shoes of a 600-pound guy with mobility limitations, the prosthetic garment has to be heavy and adhere to the principles of physics and gravity. Fraser said, “You’ll never hear me say that,” when informed that the outfit is sometimes referred to as a fat suit. Below, you can read in detail what Fraser had to say about the outfit.
Fraser: It was cumbersome, with good reason. Because putting an actor in a costume, an apparatus, to emulate weight gain for the character has, in years past, cut the corner on authenticity. It’s normally the silhouette of a costume that’s worn by a fairly athletic actor and it’s in service of a cheap joke or to vilify a character—
Interviewer: They call it a fat suit, or something like that—
Fraser: You’ll never hear me say that.
Why ‘The Whale’ is deserving of its Oscar buzz
Fraser has received a lot of Oscar hype because of his Charlie performance. A six-minute standing ovation following The Whale’s international debut at the Venice Film Festival moved Fraser to tears and ignited a chain reaction of adoration. The commendation is merited as well. The Whale is a hit in every way, not to mention Fraser’s moving performance in it.
The tiny, boxy 1.33 aspect ratio used by Aronofsky and The Whale cinematographer Matthew Libatique strongly accentuated Charlie’s stature, giving him the appearance of the eponymous creature in several frames. The literary allusions and the script’s emphasis on religion and faith build to and intensify the film’s cathartic conclusion. The Whale scribe is here Samuel D. Hunter made the proper choice by putting the entire movie in one place since it makes it possible to concentrate more on the language and character development. Based on Hunter’s play of the same name from 2012, the script. Additionally, the supporting roles, particularly Sink’s, are the ideal complements to Fraser’s career-best performance.
Although there is a lot of skill on display in The Whale, Fraser’s performance will stick with audiences long after they leave the theatre. It is nice to watch him talk openly about the part and to see him continue to support folks who struggle with weight and mental health while marketing the movie. This is fortunate for him because the Oscar nominations will be revealed at the end of January. Although the latter may not have been the goal, Fraser’s performance has generated enough publicity to increase the likelihood of a nomination, even though it is well merited. On January 24, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will release its final list of nominees.
