I agree completely with iluvtheatertrash and Blaxx. This is an A24 film, meaning they are aiming for a more indie crowd anyway, but they also know how to market prestige films without big stars. And as Blaxx pointed out, they can still cast stars in other roles. Plus, do we really think that Brendan Fraser, of all people, is the big bankable star that this role needs? And as far as acting is concerned: do we really think there's no obese people in the US who could act the role better than him? He's not exactly Daniel Day-Lewis. Plus, recent movies like Nomadland and the 40-Year-Old Version have shown that a strong director can coax fantastic performances out of people who have never acted before.
And like all issues of representation in casting: this isn't just about what's offensive or not, it's also about the fact that fat people face an incredible amount of discrimination in this industry. It's very rare to see a fat person in a dramatic leading role, and so when opportunities like this come along, casting someone like Brendan Fraser is like a slap in the face to fat actors. And going back to iluvtheatertrash's point, it's not even like the actor would necessarily have to actually be 600 pounds themselves.
Updated On: 1/12/21 at 11:36 AM
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
