90s heartthrob Brendan Fraser transforms into 600lb man for a new film as he returns to Hollywood

The Whale is director Aronofsky’s first film since 2017’s Mother! and stars Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins. The filmmaker previously directed Black Swan, The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream. A24 released the first photo of Fraser as a 600-pound man for the film... have a look below!

The Whale, which will premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival,  follows a reclusive, severely obese English teacher played by Fraser who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter (Sadie Sink) for one last chance at redemption. Samuel D. Hunter wrote the screenplay based on his play of the same name. "Adapting my play into a screenplay has been a real labor of love for me,” Hunter said in a statement to Deadline last year. “This story is deeply personal and I’m very thankful it will have the chance to reach a wider audience. I’ve been a fan of Darren’s ever since I saw Requiem for a Dream when I was a college freshman writing my first plays, and I’m so grateful that he’s bringing his singular talent and vision to this film.”

The role will be Fraser's first leading role since 2013's Breakout, according to Variety. Last year he had a supporting role in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Movie. He was also seen in the F/X limited series Trust and the HBO Max series Doom Patrol. Fans can expect a different side of the actor in the upcoming film. Fraser himself spoke about his role to Unilad saying, “It’s gonna be like something you haven’t seen before. That’s really all I can tell you…The wardrobe and costume was extensive, seamless, and 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.”

Stranger Things star Sadie Sink who plays Fraser's daughter in the film previously spoke to Collider, when there was less buzz around the film. The 20-year-old shared said, “It’s called The Whale and Darren Aronofsky directed it, Brendan Fraser’s in it. It was a really small cast and a small set, and we had a whole three weeks of rehearsal and Darren kind of wanted to treat it as if it were a play, because The Whale originally was a play. The way he staged it and the way we rehearsed it, the same as you would do in a theater company, he taped the walls of the set and everything so that we could rehearse in a mock space I guess." She added that movie was "just a really creatively fulfilling project to work on."

Cover Image Source: A24/Twitter