Daniel Franzese questions Brendan Fraser’s casting as obese gay man in The Whale – Digital Spy

Mean Girls star Daniel Franzese has criticised the casting of Brendan Fraser as an obese gay man in new movie The Whale.

Fraser has been winning acclaim for his performance following the film’s recent premiere, though some have been questioning the fact that he wears a fatsuit for his role as a 600lb man, as well as how the film deals with the topic of obesity.

Speaking to People about The Whale, Franzese – who played the role of Damian in the 2004 comedy Mean Girls – questioned why “other big queer guys” were overlooked for the role.

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“I love Brendan Fraser, [so] I’m very conflicted,” he said. “Seeing him get up so modest in Venice and have that moment, I was very happy for him. He’s a lovely man. And it’s great. But why? Why go up there and wear a fat suit to play a 400lb queer man?”

The star said that “actors like me and my colleagues” would “jump at” the chance to play such a role.

“To finally have a chance to be in a prestige film that might be award-nominated, where stories about people who look like us are being told? That’s the dream,” he said. “So when they go time and time again and cast someone like Brendan Fraser, me and the other big queer guys, we’re like, ‘What the?’ We can’t take it!”

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Franzese said that he was a fan of director Darren Aronofsky too, continuing: “I would have loved to have read for this. I mean, who knows more about being an obese queer man than an obese queer man?”

“But I guess you can go ahead and wear a fat suit and do what you got to do and get your Oscar. We’ll just sit here, waiting,” he added.

Noting wider issues in the industry, Franzese said that “people like me and my colleagues can’t really sell movies overseas if we are actually queer because the world is homophobic”.

“Even if America is ready for a gay person in the lead like that, they have a hard time selling the movie overseas, so they get scared,” he added. “But it’s going to take risk-takers and real trailblazers to let us cut our teeth in these roles as actors so we, too, can have a shot at a full career in Hollywood.”

The Whale is set for release on December 9 in US cinemas. A UK release date has not been announced yet.