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A24's Oscar-nominated Darren Aronofsky's psychological drama film The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser in the lead role, premiered last July and has garnered mixed reviews for its representation of obesity. Fraser wears up to 300 pounds of prosthetics to play an obese man in the film adapted from Samuel D. Hunter's play of the same name.
Fraser, best known for his role in The Mummy franchise, made a significant comeback in the film through his character Charlie, a middle-aged man who gained 600 pounds after guilt-ridden binge-eating for leaving his family for his gay lover. His co-stars include Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, and Ty Simpkins, among others.
The 54-year-old seasoned actor's extraordinary transformation for the unique character furthered the film's chances of getting multiple nominations at the 95th Oscars. This included one nomination in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category for makeup designer Adrien Morot and a second for Brendan Fraser in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category.
The Whale has already garnered a Critics Choice and SAG Award earlier this year and is looking forward to achieving more accolades ahead.
Oscar-nominated actor Brendan Fraser wore a 300-pound prosthetic suit for his role as Charlie in The Whale
Brendan Fraser underwent an immense transformation for his recent hit The Whale, which has been nominated in three categories for Oscars 2023. The actor reportedly wore a massive 300 pounds (136 kg) worth of prosthetics to play the role of Charlie, an obese protagonist who weighs 600 pounds (272 kg). To clarify, Fraser did not put on weight.
For the actor's role, makeup and prosthetics designer Adrien Morot had to construct a wearable 600-pound man. Morot, who has previously worked with the director on Noah and has also worked on The Revenant and X-Men: Days of Future Past, created the prosthetic suit using a digital sculpture and a 3D printer.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Brendan Fraser talked about the suit, saying:
"I looked at other body suits that had been used in comedies over the years, usually for a one-note joke. Whether intended or not, the joke is, it defies gravity. This was not that."
Fraser described the prosthetic suit as "beautiful and arresting" while also mentioning his distinctive experience after wearing it on set every day. The actor described dressing up as his character as "cumbersome" and "not exactly comfortable. He also added that the torso piece was like a straight jacket with sleeves that went on, airbrushed by hand to look identical as would human skin."
Vanity Fair reported that the 54-year-old actor reportedly had to carry 50 to 300 additional pounds during filming, depending on the scenes. Moreover, his character Charlie had limited movement and had to be assisted while standing up, sitting down, or wheeled from the studio to the makeup room. Fraser initially spent five to six hours on makeup, which was later reduced to two to three.
Prosthetics designer Adrien Morot described the suit Brendan Fraser wore while filming The Whale
Makeup and prosthetics designer Adrien Morot revealed that he created multiple silicone-based fabrications, which added hundreds of extra pounds to Brendan Fraser's frame in The Whale.
Marot described the suit to Entertainment Weekly:
"We had two facial pieces, one for the front, and one for the back, going all the way down to his upper chest."
He further added:
"Then, on most of the days, he had arms that were going from the tip of his fingers all the way to his shoulder that would sort of overlap with the chest piece. So he had that on both sides, and then he had legs that would go up to his waist, like that, and then he had a mid-section here."
The makeup artist also praised the Oscar-nominated actor for his performance, describing him as the kindest person he's ever met and as someone "not of this planet." According to Marot,
"Brendan was like, 'You're the expert — I trust you. The only thing that I want is to make sure that it's accurate and respectful. I don't want this to be a joke. I don't want this to be a punchline.'"
The 95th Oscars is happening this Sunday, March 12, at the iconic Dolby Theatre.
