The Whale

Brendan Fraser is the early favorite to win an Oscar, thanks to his wrenching performance in “The Whale.”

“There was a chapter in the making of this film where we tried to research actors with obesity,” says Aronofsky. “Presently, Hollywood may be back in play, but I know that the time I needed to take for personal reasons and for family reasons was all time well spent,” he says. With new bosses at the helm, the strategy of making a $90 million movie for streaming was reassessed and a decision was made that “Batgirl” wasn’t good enough to justify turning it into a theatrical release. “He could throw a punch and take a punch, and he had a great sense of humor,” says Stephen Sommers, the director of “The Mummy.” Winterbourne” to full-fledged matinee idol in “George of the Jungle,” “The Mummy” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” He was good-looking, charming and in demand because he had a particular set of skills. He was also willing to offset those blockbusters with smaller personal projects that stretched him as an actor, such as “The Quiet American,” a drama about colonialism, and “Crash,” where he was only part of the sprawling cast of the Oscar-winning look at race relations. The goal was to create something that obeyed the laws of gravity and physics, so that Fraser could better convey the struggles that Charlie faced just walking across a room, getting out of a chair or taking a shower. “That was a risky project at that time,” says Ian McKellen, Fraser’s co-star in “Gods and Monsters.” “It was a film about a gay man starring a gay man that was written and directed by a gay man. It was only after he happened to see a trailer for a “low-budget Brazilian movie” Fraser appeared in that Aronofsky had the idea of casting the actor. On the festival circuit, audiences have flipped for “The Whale,” showering Fraser with a boisterous six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, and then nearly exceeding that in Toronto, where organizers had to shush the crowd in order to begin a post-screening Q&A. “But now,” Fraser adds with prophetic gusto reminiscent of a camp villain, “the tables have turned!” With this movie, everything I had to offer is everything that you see on the screen.”

Comeback kid Brendan Fraser already has the 2023 best actor Oscar in the bag, judging by his rapturous reception at last night's London Film Festival.

That Brendan Fraser faced his own weight gain body issues after the actor came forward with allegations he was sexually assaulted in 2003 that derailed his career and personal life undoubtedly feeds into both his performance and our reaction to it. Yes, the ‘fat suit’ is incredible. He can barely shuffle around his apartment, which he – and the film – never leave. You’ll be haunted by Fraser’s gentleness and those big, blue, watery eyes. There’s Liz (Hong Chau), his unofficial nurse/friend, there’s a naïve young missionary (Ty Simpkins), from the New Life church, and there’s his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), who Charlie hasn’t seen since she was eight, but is now desperate to connect with, before he ends his life. It’s the intelligence and vulnerability.