Actor Daniel Franzese has criticised Brendan Fraser for wearing a fat suit in his upcoming film, The Whale.
Fraser’s film is set for a December a release, and in the A24 flick, he plays a morbidly obese dad looking to reconnect with his family after leaving his wife and teenage daughter for a gay lover.
But it seems as if some aren't happy with this casting choice.
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Explaining his frustration, Franzese said that often in Hollywood, ‘big queer guys’ are overlooked for roles.
In a new interview, the Mean Girls star emphasised that he ‘loves’ Fraser and is ‘happy’ for his success, but questioned why he ‘wore a fat suit to play a 400-lb queer man’.
Franzese told People: “I love Brendan Fraser, [so] I'm very conflicted. Seeing him get up so modest in Venice and have that moment, I was very happy for him. He's a lovely man. And it's great.
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"But why? Why go up there and wear a fat suit to play a 400-lb. queer man?”
Franzese continued: “To finally have a chance to be in a prestige film that might be award-nominated, where stories about people who look like us are being told? That's the dream.
“So when they go time and time again and cast someone like Brendan Fraser, me and the other big queer guys, we're like, 'What the ... ?' We can't take it!"
UNILAD has approached Fraser’s representatives for comment.
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Speaking in July, Fraser explained ‘prosthetics, CGI and makeup’ were used to create his character Charlie.
During an appearance at GalaxyCon Raleigh, the actor shared: “The real task was to authentically create this character with all the tools we have with makeup, prosthetics, suit building, and a little bit of CGI to ensure that the shape of this man’s body obeys the laws of physics and gravity.”
He added: “I can attest that this project was made by artisans in each and every category.”
Fraser also spoke candidly about his transformation into Charlie last year during a Newsweek interview.
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The actor shared: “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, 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.”
In The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky, Fraser’s character falls into a spiral of guilt-induced binge eating and becomes reclusive after his lover dies.
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He then embarks on a mission to reconnect with his teenage daughter [Sadie Sink], who harbours conflicted and angry feelings towards her dad.
It’s set to be a good’un, and has already sparked Oscars buzz.
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Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV