Oscars 2023: How Brendan Fraser looked obese in 'The Whale'
The actor had to transform into a 272-kg-man for his role! The 95th edition of the Academy Awards celebrated Brendan Fraser as the Best Actor (male) for his career comeback as Charlie in The Whale. While the film garnered love (and accolades!), Fraser's appearance as a man weighing 272 kg came with a lot of sacrifices. Here's how he pulled it off.
Fraser was supposed to gain weight to play Charlie
In The Whale, Charlie is an obese English teacher whose life purpose was to reconnect with his teenage daughter. And to play the role perfectly, Fraser was supposed to undergo a tremendous physical transformation. However, the actor sadly failed to pile on enough weight before the shooting of this thriller flick started. Wondering how he still managed to look morbidly obese? Well, read ahead.
Special makeup effects came to Fraser's rescue
Fraser's obese appearance without gaining weight became something that everyone wanted to decode until the seasoned actor finally spilled the beans! During an interview, the American performer revealed that he worked with Adrien Morot, a pro in special makeup, to look overweight. Morot is a Canada-based artist who has also cast his magic in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
He spent eight hours in the makeup room daily
While filming for The Whale, Fraser spent a major chunk of his days in his makeup room. As per reports, both the actor and the makeup artist endured eight hours a day for the former's physical transformation! It took four hours to apply the prosthesis and an additional four hours to remove them after the shooting schedule. Well, that's indeed Oscars-worthy!
It's hard to tell if it's makeup or physical transformation!
In the end, the actor must be very patient: Fraser
Spending eight hours daily on makeup and then several hours shooting for the role is no mean feat. Sharing the same, Fraser revealed, "In the end, the actor must be very patient. You'll never hear me complaining." "Adrien was there an hour before me and stayed an hour after to clean up and get everything ready to start again the next morning," he shared.
Fraser additionally wore a 136 kg fat suit
In addition to the makeup, the actor also once shared in an interview that he had to wear a 136 kg fat suit to look morbidly obese. "There was a five-point harness that had me strapped in. Once into it, I was in there all day until it came off," he shared. He also revealed that the costume contained dried beans, marbles, and pellets.
'The Whale' is the actor's major comeback into films
Although Fraser had been starring in small-budget television shows and films, he didn't have a major theatrical release since his last film Extraordinary Measures in 2010. With The Whale, the Mummy franchise actor made a breakthrough comeback into the films and won the Oscars for his phenomenal onscreen presence. "So this is what the multiverse looks like!" he said in his acceptance speech.
