Brendan Fraser on 'The Whale' Role: 'I Wanted to Disappear Into It"

Brendan Frasier discussed his experience of taking on the taxing leading role in director Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale."

In the upcoming film, Fraser portrays a man affected by severe obesity who is trying to navigate the loss of a lover while attempting to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. In preparation for the role, which marks the actor's first leading feature film in nearly a decade, Fraser fully immersed himself in the character. It took a toll, but in an interview with Vanity Fair, Fraser said he wanted to make it count. 

"If there's no risk, then why bother?" he said. "I want to learn from the people I'm working with at this point in my career. I've had such variety, a lot of high highs and low lows, so what I'm keen for, in the second half of my time doing this, is to feel like I'm contributing to the craft and I'm learning from it. This is a prime opportunity. I wanted to disappear into it. My hope was that I would become unrecognizable."

To comprehend the character's mindset, Fraser said he partnered with the Obesity Action Coalition and watched countless films, documentaries and reality TV shows in an effort to  understand people affected by obesity were portrayed. 

"I learned quickly that it takes an incredibly strong person inside that body to be that person," he said. "That seemed fitting and poetic and practical to me, all at once."

Fraser also needed to grasp the feelings of immense loss that his character was dealing with, which required him to tap into the mental state of someone grieving. 

"This may be the first and last time I ever do this again, so I gave it everything I've got," he said of taking on a part with such depth. "And I did. That's all I got."

"The Whale"  is set for a world premiere on Sunday at the Venice International Film Festival via distributor A24.

• Mark Wahlberg to Gain 40 Pounds for New Film Role
• Val Kilmer Weight: Star Sheds Pounds, But Has It Gone Too Far?