The Whale, which premieres in competition at the Venice film festival on Sunday, has already created a buzz with speculation that it could be on its way to Oscar success. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, who won the festival’s Golden Lion in 2008 for The Wrestler, and based on the play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, it follows the story of Charlie – a reclusive English teacher near the end of his life who tries to reunites with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Fraser – a ’90s megastar and early upstart who has been largely absent from major projects for the better part of two decades – said the role was a learning curve for him. “It gave me an appreciation for those whose bodies are similar. I learned that you have to be an incredibly strong person, physically, mentally, to inhabit this being,” he said. “Charlie’s physical mobility is limited to his home space, which is his sofa. His story is told behind closed doors. It is a light in a dark place. I think it’s poetic that the trauma he carries is manifest in the physical weight of his body. From left: Darren Aronofsky, Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink and Hong Chau in Venice on Sunday. Photo: Stefania D’Alessandro/Getty Images “I had to learn to move in a completely new way. I developed muscles I didn’t know I had. I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the devices were removed, as you would feel stepping off a boat at the dock here in Venice.” The film also stars Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink and Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau and Samantha Morton. Aronofsky said he was “deeply moved” when he first watched Hunter play in New York. But the director took another 10 years to make the film, “because it took me about 10 years to act [it],” he said. “Casting Charlie was a huge challenge for many different reasons. I considered everybody, all different types of actors. Every movie star on the planet. But none of it ever really clicked, it just didn’t move me, it didn’t feel right. A few years ago I caught a trailer for a low-budget Brazilian film, saw Brendan in it and a light bulb went off.” Speaking about his career, Fraser, known for roles in The Mummy, George of the Jungle and Gods and Monsters, said this role was his biggest challenge. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “I looked different in them [George of the Jungle] days. My journey to where I am now has been to explore as many characters as I can and that has presented me with the biggest challenge. “By far I think Charlie is the most heroic person I’ve ever played, because his superpower is seeing the good in others and bringing it out in himself. In this process he is on the journey of his salvation.” Hunter, who adapted the screenplay, recalled that when he originally wrote the play 12 years ago he was a university professor pleading with his students to write something real and honest. “From that I was getting these amazing, wonderful things. I wanted to write a story about an English teacher who is desperate to connect with a younger person… I think literature has always been infused in her, I wanted Charlie to be a man of letters, a voracious reader.” Added Aronofsky: “Over the last few years, so many of us have lost so much. There was such a separation of human connection. Cinema is about human connection. It’s about the opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes and have two hours of empathy and someone else’s mind, and I think that’s exactly what the world needs.”
