Darren Aronofsky believes that ‘The Whale’ is timely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 53-year-old director has helmed the new psychological drama that features Brendan Fraser as Charlie – a reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity as he attempts to reconnect with his teenage daughter – and thinks the theme is poignant given the isolation people have experienced during the global health crisis.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Darren said: “I think we’ve all been in Charlie’s position in the last few years. We’ve lost so much human connection, and this film is about people who are isolated but trying to connect.”
Darren had been attempting to make ‘The Whale’ for a decade but only got around to the production as a result of the pandemic.
The ‘Requiem for a Dream’ filmmaker said: “After ‘Mother!’, there were many opportunities but the world had shifted. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to make a big movie. I thought it was dangerous. People were still dying. Five actors in a room was a landscape that seemed controllable.”
Brendan has been tipped for an Oscar for his performance in the flick and Darren explained how the actor’s “inner light” was a big factor behind the decision to cast the star – who had stepped away from the spotlight after claiming that he had been sexually assaulted by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Philip Berk in 2003.
Aronofsky explained: “It was clear there was this inner light in him and it hadn’t been harnessed in a long time.
“When I met him, he was a gentleman. It was also clear he wanted to work. I knew it was going to be very difficult emotionally and technically, and I needed an actor who was 100 per cent game to do that. Brendan was.”
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