Fraser sobbed throughout the six-minute standing ovation, which will likely put him at the forefront of this year’s best actor Oscar race. Among those spotted inside the Sala Grande Theater were Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Nick Kroll and Hillary Clinton staffer Huma Abedin, who was seated a few rows behind Fraser and shed as many tears as he did. Many others inside the theater also broke a handkerchief during the film’s heartbreaking final scenes. “The Whale” stars Fraser as a man living with severe obesity who struggles to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter, played by “Stranger Things” breakout Sandy Sink. The supporting cast also includes Hong Chau, Samantha Morton and Ty Simpkins. The film is based on the play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, who adapted the screenplay into Aronofsky’s feature. To play the title character in the film, Fraser donned a prosthetic suit that added anywhere from 50 to 300 pounds depending on the scene. The actor spent up to six hours in the makeup chair every day to fully transform into the character. In an interview before the film’s Venice premiere, Fraser shared that his prosthetic suit was “awkward, not exactly comfortable,” adding, “The torso piece was almost like a tight jacket with the sleeves coming off, airbrushed with the hand, to make it look identical. as is human skin, down to the hair pierced by hand.’ “I developed muscles I didn’t know I had,” Fraser told reporters at a press conference in Venice about wearing the prosthetic suit. “I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the devices were removed. it was like stepping off the dock into a boat in Venice. That [sense of] wavy. It gave me an appreciation for those whose bodies are similar. You have to be an incredibly strong person, mentally and physically, to inhabit this physical being.” In his review of “The Whale” from Venice, Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman called Fraser “slyer, more subtle, more haunting than ever,” adding that he gives an “intensely vivid and moving performance.” “The Whale” marks another busy Venice premiere for Aronofsky, who has a rich history with the prestigious festival. While he stumbled in his first Venice with the premiere of “The Fountain,” he bounced back in 2008 when “The Wrestler” won the Golden Lion. “Black Swan” was one of the big hits of the 2010 Venice Film Festival (and earned Mila Kunis an emerging actress award), while “Mother!” was the talk of the 2017 festival. Fraser became an action star in 1997’s “George of the Jungle” and the “The Mummy” franchise, but stepped away from leading man status in the 2010s as he played smaller roles (including a role on TV’s “The Case”) Although Fraser had a supporting role in Steven Soderbergh’s “No Sudden Move” last year, “The Whale” marks a huge return for the actor in his first lead film role since the action flick “Breakout.” in 2013. OIn Fraser’s upcoming docket is Martin Scorsese’s Apple western “Killers of the Flower Moon.” His turn as Garfield Lynns/Firefly in the DC tentpole “Batgirl” will not be seen as Warner Bros. canceled the release of the film. A24 will release “The Whale” in theaters on December 9.
