Brendan Fraser has ignited a debate about the use of fat suits in movies after the first images from The Whale appeared online.
The hugely popular actor is set to star in Darren Aronofsky’s film as a 600-pound man who wants to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter, played by Sadie Sink (Stranger Things).
Fraser spoke to Newsweek about the project in June 2021, calling the wardrobe and costumes he wore: “Extensive, seamless, cumbersome.” Now that Fraser’s look in The Whale has been revealed, the merits of wearing a fat suit and other prosthetics in movies are being debated online.
A24
“I love Brendan Fraser. I do not love this. It’s 2022, just hire a fat actor,” wrote @FairHairViking on Twitter. The same sentiment was echoed by @TheShawnMorris who wrote: “Love Brendan Fraser. Don’t love actors in fat suits.”
Other users debated whether it was a “fat suit” or whether it was CGI. The specifics on how they achieved Fraser’s look haven’t been revealed.
The first image of Fraser in The Whale was released as it was announced the movie would premiere at the 79th Venice Film Festival in Italy.
As he appeared in a Steven Soderbergh movie last year, Fraser was clearly carrying considerably more weight than he’d done in the past.
Many people on Twitter reacted to his apparent weight gain in the preview image of The Whale, which led Fraser’s fans to call for an end to any fat shaming.
“F*** anyone who makes fat jokes in general but especially if you’re doing it about brendan fraser [right now],” @weirdcities wrote.
Is Brendan Fraser wearing a fat suit in the Whale………
— Camryn Garrett (@dancingofpens) July 26, 2022
The pictures of Fraser became a major trending topic on Reddit too with thousands of people joining the debate.
“Those are truly amazing prosthetics,” wrote Matrix07, “Absolutely incredible.” Another user @eidbio predicted that The Whale would receive the “Best Makeup Oscar”
Fraser had previously detailed what to expect in The Whale. After confirming that the movie was “already in the can” in June 2021, he told Newsweek: “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 haven’t seen any of it yet, but I do know it’s going to make a lasting impression,” Fraser said. Despite being in post-production for over a year, Fraser admitted he had to be a “little secretive” about the movie at that time, but said he was looking forward to sharing more details at a later date.
Fraser has been the subject of a social media campaign in recent years as people celebrated a “Brenaissance”—the term used for the return of Brendan Fraser in the movie business. After The Whale, he’s also set to star in Killers of the Flower Moon alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Batgirl with Michael Keaton.
