, whose theatre work, including The Whale, earned him a $625,000 MacArthur Fellowship in 2014 but who is only now, at 41, making his debut as a screenwriter.
Fraser wears a sweaty 300lb body-suit, with some minor CGI augmentation. Is the film daring us to care about this woebegone fellow who at first seems so repellent? Hunter looks aghast at the idea. “No!” he exclaims. “I wasn’t concerned with whether an audience member would identify with him. I bristle at the idea of likability because that’s inherently …” He recalibrates. “These are human beings. I don’t think you should have to see yourself reflected in another human being to have empathy.
Even taking a few steps to the front door to collect a pizza delivery becomes as monumental as a moon walk. “During those moments, I told Brendan, ‘Take a breath,’” the director recalls. As he says this, he reaches over and pats Fraser’s hand reassuringly. “Brendan took this kind of half-breath, and I thought: ‘Yeah, that’s probably all Charlie could manage.’” The physical demands on the actor were immense.
In this age of debate over authentic casting, there have been objections to Fraser playing Charlie when he is, in fact, neither gay nor obese in real life. Did Hunter anticipate this reaction? “All that matters is knowing that the actor can bring tenderness and generosity amid Charlie’s pain and suffering,” the playwright says. “That bright light in the darkness.” Does this mean Hunter has no opinion on like-for-like casting? “I have nothing to say about the discourse.
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