Brendan Fraser Cries As 600lb Reclusive Teacher In 1st Trailer For Comeback Film ‘The Whale’: Watch
The first trailer for Brendan Fraser‘s comeback movie, The Whale, was released on Tuesday, November 8, and it offers a glimpse at this entirely different role for the beloved actor. Brendan plays a 600-pound English teacher named Charlie looking to reconnect with his estranged 17-year-old daughter, played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink.
“Do you ever get the feeling people are incapable of not caring?” a visibly-obese Charlie says in the trailer, as we see flashes of his daughter Ellie and his nurse Liz, played by Hong Chau. Charlie also says, “People are amazing.”
The Darren Aronofsky feature film is based on the 2012 play written by Samuel D. Hunter. Brendan underwent a remarkable transformation to play the role of an obese man. He’s been receiving Oscar buzz for the movie, which comes out Dec. 9. Brendan received standing ovations at The Whale‘s premiere at Venice Film Festival in early September and at the BFI London Film Festival the following month. Fans have also been praising the actor for his first leading role after 2013’s Breakout.
Brendan’s big role marks his comeback gig after battling depression for years that began after he was allegedly sexually assaulted by the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk, in 2003. He did not make his allegations public until he sat down for an interview with GQ in 2018 when the #MeToo movement gained major steam in Hollywood. The Mummy star opened up about the depression he felt after the whole ordeal and said it made him “retreat” and “feel reclusive.
Before The Whale started getting Oscar buzz, Brendan opened up about playing his new role, in an interview, and promised it was unlike anything he’s ever done before. “It’s gonna be like something you haven’t seen before,” he, told Unilad last year while discussing the highly-anticipated movie. “The wardrobe and costume was extensive, seamless, cumbersome. This is certainly far removed from anything I’ve ever done but not to be coy … I do know it’s going to make a lasting impression.”