The Whaleis a 2022 Darren Aronofsky drama about a man named Charlie who struggles to manage his weight, career, sense of self-worth, and relationships with his friends and family members.Sadie Sink plays his teenage daughter Ellie in the film, who resents her father. In addition to Fraser and Sink,The Whale’s small ensemble cast included Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton, and Sathya Sridharan. The film was nominated for three Oscars and ended up winning two of them, for Best Makeup and Hairstyling andBest Actor for Fraser.
Speaking with Josh Horowitz onHappy Sad Confused, Sink reflects on her time working with Fraser onThe Whale. Sink was asked to speak on the challenge of accessing the level of emotional potency inThe Whale. The actor describes the three-day shoot experience as “a lot,” as she had to “sustain that kind of emotion over so many days.” Overall, though, her experience on the film was fantastic, as she recalled thatworking with Fraser “is gonna be one of the highlights of [her] career forever.“Check out the full quote from Sink below:
Sink:It was a lot. It really was a lot. Leading up to it, I was questioning whether I could even do that. Like I’d never had to sustain that kind of emotion over so many days. But at that point, it felt so earned for the character.
Horowitz:Did you shoot in sequence?
Sink:It was shot in sequence. But we just kind of like moved through the angles, moved through the scene. And yeah, that emotional stamina from Brendan, also seeing that, was super encouraging and like just feeding off of that was so helpful. And he gave such an incredible performance.
Horowitz:It must have also been so moving just to go through that whole experience, in the wake of it, to sit at Venice next to him when the world kind of is like ‘we love you Brendan, we’ve always loved you.’
Sink:It’s the best. He’s like, he’s so amazing, so kind, and just genuinely that. Which is so rare to see. And just, like, working with him is gonna be one of the highlights of my career forever.
What This Meant For The Whale
After Charlie and Ellie’s tumultuous relationship has been shown throughout the film,The Whale’s endingis where the movie reaches its emotional climax. While the ending is left somewhat ambiguous,it is implied that Charlie dies. Before his death, he asks his daughter to read, out loud, an essay she wrote onMoby Dickthat he has been saving for years. Given how intense the character relationships were to begin with, it makes sense why these final moments would be so emotional.
Brendan Fraser’s 10 Most Underrated Movies
Brendan Fraser’s career includes hits and misses but also underrated films that, for a variety of reasons, don’t get as much love as they deserve.
Sink’s quote is also reflective of the reverence for Fraser that other actors in Hollywood have. Through his work in movies likeGeorge of the JungleandThe Mummy, there was a when the actor was only in larger movies. His career had also slowed down a bit in the 2010s, as he did not have as many notable roles in that decade.The Whalewas his first Oscar nomination and first win, and was considered a chance for the film industry to see how beloved he was.
Our Take On Sink’s Fraser Experience
Both Performances Were Captivating
Despite the film’s controversy,The Whale’s protagonist role is an intense part for any actor to have to play, and Fraser really nails it. As such, it is unsurprising that Sink would feel so inspired by watching him perform, and how that would influence her own performance. Playing intensely flawed human beings with a fraught relationship, both Sink and Fraser delivered moving performances inThe Whale, and I hope they get to reteam together on a future project.
The Whale
Cast
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Whale is based on a 2012 stage play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter. The film star Brenden Fraser as Charlie, a reclusive and obese English teacher who, faced with his own mortality and guilt-ridden over his past, attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter Ellie, played by Sadie Sink. The film was part of Fraser’s comeback to acting and earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
