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Brendan Fraser says obesity is one of the final accepted forms of “prejudice and bigotry”.
The 54-year-old actor – who met with people from Florida’s Obesity Action Coalition as he prepared to play Charlie in 2022’s ‘The Whale’ – hopes the movie can help change the way society looks at people who are obese.
He told Empire magazine: “Obesity is among the last accepted norms of prejudice and bigotry that we have in our society now.
“I think [the film] might be able to help turn the tide of that dialogue. It might change some hearts and minds.”
Brendan also reflected on comparisons between himself and his character, who a reclusive English professor.
He said: “I stepped away from Hollywood, from filmmaking for a while because I did have some chips and dings in the paint, and the hinges needed to be repaired.
“And it did take a… it took a lot more out of me than I was really ready for, but I had to do it, and it took a while.”
However, the ‘Mummy’ star noted he’s in a “good” place now, and he didn’t hit the same lows as Charlie in the film.
He explained: “The good news is I’m out of pain, I feel good. So… no, I did not retreat to a room alone and harm myself in any way.
“But… in its most extreme examples, yeah, I can see how Charlie would have some issues.”
Long after filming finished on the movie, Brendan still can’t stop thinking about his character.
In November, he said: “I think about this guy all the time. I interviewed people on Zoom calls in researching for this, connections made possible by Dr. Goldman at the Obesity Action Coalition. It’s a support and resource group that has a huge following and membership online.
“It’s essentially a place where families and people who live with people who are obese, or are obese, can go to when they need health services, referrals, everything. It’s a wonderful organisation.
“The people I talked to gave me something so honest that I really questioned if I was qualified to have this information. Something I learned, as heartbreaking as it is, is that each person who told me their story had one thing in common: There was someone in their youth who was very cruel to them by the way they spoke to them, and it set in motion the rest of their life. Sadly, it most often was a father, I noticed.”
