We now finally have a trailer for the Oscar-tipped drama The Whale, which marks Brendan Fraser's return to screens in a leading role.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream) and based on a play by Samuel D. Hunter, Fraser stars in the film as a 600-pound middle-aged man named Charlie who tries to reconnect with his teenage daughter Ellie (Stranger Things' Sadie Sink).
"The two grew apart after Charlie left his family for a man, who later died. Charlie then went on to binge eat out of pain and guilt which resulted in his current appearance," the plot synopsis reads.
Alongside Fraser and Sink, the movie also features amongst its cast Hong Chau (Watchmen), Samantha Morton (Minority Report) and Ty Simpkins (Iron Man 3).
In order to play Charlie, Fraser spent four hours each day of shooting in the makeup department being fitted with prosthetics weighing up to 300 pounds.
On top of this, he also worked with a dance instructor for months in order to figure out how his character would move with the excess weight.
The hard work seems to have paid off. The movie received a six-minute standing ovation at this year's Venice Film Festival and many Oscar watchers have said Fraser is the favourite to take home the Best Actor award at next year's Academy Awards.
Among his major competitors are Austin Butler for Elvis and Colin Farrell for The Banshees of Inisherin.
The Whale is set for an Irish release on 3 February 2023. You can check out its trailer below.
Clip via A24
