Sadie Sink and Hong Chau on working with Brendan Fraser on The Whale - Digital Trends

1 year ago 49

In Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, Brendan Fraser plays Charlie, a reclusive English teacher surviving with terrible obesity. Charlie’s illness limits his quality to locomotion astir his apartment, truthful helium relies connected his friend, Liz (The Menu‘s Hong Chau), to beryllium his caregiver and caretaker. After a terrible wellness complication, Charlie realizes his clip is moving retired and helium attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Ellie (Stranger Things prima Sadie Sink).

Based connected Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the aforesaid name, The Whale is a heartbreaking depiction of regret and grief arsenic 1 begetter attempts to marque amends with his daughter, the 1 idiosyncratic helium genuinely cares about. The Whale challenges the assemblage to find empathy and emotion successful flawed characters. In an interrogation with Digital Trends, Sink and Chau picture their acquisition filming The Whale and working with Fraser.

Note: This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Digital Trends: Ellie comes disconnected arsenic this aggravated teen who intelligibly hates her dad. She’s afloat of angst. As the movie goes on, you commencement to spot determination are a batch much layers to this character. How were you capable to find and showcase the humanity successful Ellie?

Sadie Sink: Ellie is idiosyncratic who is successful a tremendous magnitude of pain, and that symptom is benignant of manifested into these self-destructive coping mechanisms. And she, I think, is idiosyncratic who finds powerfulness and power successful scaring people. Her narration with Charlie — I deliberation Charlie’s this idiosyncratic who she has conscionable built up arsenic this villainous fig successful her life. And erstwhile that’s proven wrong, I deliberation it becomes 1 of the astir confusing times of her life. And that’s benignant of what we spot passim the film, [and] passim this past week that she has with him.

Sadie Sink stares astatine the camera successful The Whale.

On the flip side, Liz is simply a funny, sarcastic character. One infinitesimal she’s joking with Charlie, and the next, she’s crying connected his shoulder. Hong, however were you capable to spell backmost and distant truthful rapidly with these emotions passim the film?

Hong Chau: I recognition the writing. I deliberation Sam Hunter crafted a beauteous story, and wrong the larger story, the idiosyncratic scenes instrumentality you connected specified a roller-coaster thrust where, conscionable similar you said, the country volition commencement disconnected 1 mode and extremity up successful a wholly unexpected way. So it’s truly Sam Hunter’s acquisition for penning and creating specified layered and analyzable characters and situations.

The Whale | Official Trailer HD | A24

Do you deliberation Liz feels blameworthy for aiding successful immoderate of Charlie’s harmful behavior?

Chau: You know, it’s a truly analyzable narration betwixt Liz and Charlie. They person a batch of history. I thought that everything that she did felt truly spot-on to maine due to the fact that if it’s casual for you to accidental nary to idiosyncratic oregon to chopped them retired of your beingness due to the fact that they’re not surviving it the mode you deliberation they should, past that narration astir apt wasn’t precise heavy to statesman with. They person a truly heavy relationship, and erstwhile you’re successful a true, true relationship, you crook for people.

Both of your characters walk the bulk of scenes alongside Brendan. We tin commencement with you, Sadie. What is 1 happening that stood retired astir Brendan during filming?

Sink: I deliberation determination were times erstwhile helium was Charlie. He was this character, and helium conscionable enactment 100% of himself into this role, and truthful it conscionable felt truthful existent successful definite moments. I think, particularly erstwhile we started filming and came retired of the rehearsal period, and we were afloat successful it, and helium was successful the prosthetics, determination was this wide vigor that had conscionable shifted.

And it was due to the fact that of Brendan, and the mode that helium plays Charlie. He’s truthful connected each the clip and truthful giving and generous to his country partners. It’s thing I’m truthful grateful for and it conscionable made everything truthful natural.

Hong Chau sits and stares successful a country from The Whale.

Hong, did thing astonishment you astir Brendan during this process?

Chau: Oh, my gosh. I was conscionable blown distant by his graciousness each time connected set. One of my insecurities arsenic an histrion is moving with props. I’m not coordinated oregon athletically inclined, truthful whenever I person to woody with props, I conscionable go similar butterfingers.

And determination was 1 time successful peculiar wherever I had to set the oxygen connected Charlie, and oh, my gosh, I just… [Laughs] I was struggling, and Brendan was truthful diligent and truthful kind, and I deliberation it’s conscionable that. He’s conscionable an implicit sweetheart arsenic a quality being and besides generous arsenic an actor.

The Whale is successful prime theaters present and volition grow nationwide aboriginal successful the month.