The Whale director Darren Aronofsky reveals why he cast Brendan Fraser and responds to accusations of fatphobia

In a small New York theatre in 2012, American playwright Samuel D. Hunter's play The Whale made its off-Broadway debut. "It touched me, but I was also in a room where everyone was moved and touched by it as well," the director told ABC RN's The Screen Show. Making The Whale After Aronofsky's light bulb moment in 2020, Fraser met with the director in his New York City office. " Of course, there's many prejudices out there, but it's totally acceptable to be fatphobic in so many different ways and to use disparaging terms against people living with obesity," the director says. "I feel like Sam Hunter's message of human connection and forgiveness and consideration is more timely than ever, and that's what I was touched by — Sam's positivity, his humour through great darkness," he says.