Brendan Fraser is back on the front of the stage with “The Whale”. His performance in Darren Aronofsky’s drama was widely praised at the Venice Film Festival, which brought joy to his former costar Dwayne Johnson.
The Whale : the big comeback of Brendan Fraser
After filming under the direction of Steven Soderbergh on No Sudden Move and while waiting to discover his collaboration with Martin Scorsese on Killers of the Flower MoonBrendan Fraser will soon star in The Whalethe new film by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, black swan). A drama presented at the Venice Film Festival 2022, and for which the comedian back on the front of the stage received a standing ovation lasting several minutes.
In this adaptation of the eponymous play by Samuel D. Hunter, the star of The Mummy lends his features to Charlie, an English teacher who abandoned his family to live with his lover. Since his death, he is morbidly obese due to food addiction. Unable to move without assistance, he does everything to reconnect with his daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink).
For this role which promises to be overwhelming, Brendan Fraser had to wear a suit ranging from 25 to 150 kilos. A transformation that did not leave the audience at the Venice Film Festival indifferent. Faced with applause, the actor was moved to tears. His reaction apparently touched his former partner Dwayne Johnsonto which he replied in The Mummy Returns.
The tender message of Dwayne Johnson
When he played the Scorpion King in Stephen Sommers’ blockbuster released in 2001, Dwayne Johnson played his first role in the cinema. Then essentially known under the pseudonym of “The Rock”, the future star of Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle and Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw is at the time a WWE heavyweight. And for his debut in the seventh art, the wrestler can count on the support of Brendan Fraser, as he recalled in a tweet on September 5, 2022:
It makes me so happy to see this nice standing ovation for Brendan. He supported me in his frankness The Mummy for my very first role, which launched my career in Hollywood. I wish you success my brother and congratulations to my friend Darren Aronofsky.
The Whale is to be discovered from February 22, 2023 at the cinema and Brendan Fraser is already making among the favorites for the Oscar for Best Actor next year.
