Brendan Fraser’s stellar performance in the film was widely raved about The Whale (The whale), by Darren Aronofsky. The star embodies a bereaved professor who not only suffers from morbid obesity, but voluntarily worsens it in order to find his late lover. The character weighing more than six hundred pounds, costume and elaborate prosthetic makeup had to be developed, and it was Montrealer Adrien Morot that the production entrusted this delicate mandate. Here he is, like the actor, being rewarded with an Oscar nomination.
In the film, Brendan Fraser, alias Charlie, is covered from head to toe in latex with realer-than-real patinas; a real second skin.
“When Darren presented the project to me, he explained to me that he wanted to start filming in five weeks,” recalls Adrien Morot, joined by videoconference on Tuesday following the announcement of his appointment.
“I thought it was a short deadline, but I was confident that with the clothes that would cover the majority of Brendan’s body, I could manage it: there would be the hands, the neck, the face of course…”
However, when reading the script, Adrien Morot realized that his task would be much more complex.
“You should know that Darren worked in collaboration with the association Obesity Action Coalition, because he wanted a respectful and authentic representation. In real life, obese people often wear very baggy clothes with short sleeves and short legs, so that it’s easy to put on. So in the movie, Darren wanted to see the arms, the legs… And there was a scene where Charlie is taking a shower… Anyway, I understood that my job would be a lot more complex and sophisticated, so I begged Darren not to stick to his five-week deadline and to take the necessary time. Because the movie relies on Charlie, and if Charlie’s appearance doesn’t convince, the movie won’t work. »
The filmmaker had the wisdom to listen to Adrien Morot, already nominated for the Oscar for best special make-up and hairstyles in 2011 for Barney’s Version (Barney’s worldwhere he had aged Paul Giamatti).
An honest trick
To specify Adrien Morot, the application of the prosthetic costume of more than two hundred pounds on Brendan Fraser initially required seven and a half hours.
“You had to see how the material reacted on Brendan, how it fell,’” he notes, bringing his own cheek down with his hand to illustrate his point.
Thereafter, it was two and a half hours each day. “Plus about 45 minutes to apply the touch-ups. »
Since its appearance, this type of prosthetic costume dubbed very inelegantly “ fatsuits », was often used for easy or grossophobic humor purposes (see Shallow Hal). Now, its use is more criticized. But precisely, The Whale avoids this pitfall by the very presence of Brendan Fraser. During the presentation of the film at TIFF, we wrote about it:
“Admired and objectified for his Apollonian physique at the time of George of the Jungle (George of the Jungle) and the saga The Mummy (The Mummy), Fraser ruined his body and his health by overtraining and dangerous stunts: serious injuries, permanent pain, depression […] Fraser said he took on extra pounds for the role, but notwithstanding that, being overweight is now his reality. »
Both the career of the actor and the evolution of his body make the artifice honest. For his part, Adrien Morot admits that he was not too concerned about possible criticism: “Like Darren, my goal was to achieve the greatest possible authenticity. »
Mission accomplished, and more. In this respect, the year 2023 promises to be good for Adrien Morot. In fact, except The Whalethere is the horror movie M3gan, about a doll-like android who turns out to be a formidable killer: we see her everywhere. Yes, it is a creation of Morot FX Studio.
When this last title is mentioned, Adrien Morot smiles immediately. For the account, the love at first sight for this profession came to him while watching horror films, as a child, like The Thing (The dreadful thing), by John Carpenter. Not only did he realize his dream, but with this second Oscar nomination, he is now an authority in his field. Not that we detect in him the slightest sign of pride, on the contrary. Humble, Adrien Morot concludes:
“I’m so lucky. I can not believe it. In the morning, I go to my studio, and I pinch myself. »
Oscar Night airs March 12 on CTV and online.