Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson praises Brendan Fraser

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in the cancelled Batgirl film, this is his first big screen starring credit since 2010's Extraordinary Measures.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Fraser portrays Charlie in the film. The role required the actor to wear heavy prosthetics in order to depict the character's obesity. According to an interview with Variety, Fraser had to wear a body suit weighing an extra 50 to 300 lbs. The actor shared his experience as such: I developed muscles I did not know I had. I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the appliances were removed; it was like stepping off the dock onto a boat in Venice. Fraser continued by saying how he appreciates those who suffer from being overweight: It gave me appreciation for those whose bodies are similar. You need to be an incredibly strong person, mentally and physically, to inhabit that physical being.

Director Aronofsky noted that the film took 10 years to make, but the casting of Fraser was key. The role of Charlie was apparently more difficult to find the right person than it seemed: I considered everyone — all types of different actors, every single movie star on the planet. But none of them ever really clicked. It just didn't move me, or feel right. A couple years ago, I caught a trailer from a Brazilian movie, a low-budget movie, and I saw Brendan in the trailer and a light bulb went off. The Whale recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival and the film received high praises from its audience.

By the end of the screening, the crowd gave a standing ovation, that lasted 6 minutes, directed at the performance of Brendan Fraser, who became emotional due to the overwhelming positive response. The Rock responds After the screening of The Whale at the Venice Film Festival and standing ovation went viral, Dwayne Johnson took to social media to congratulate both Brendan Fraser and Darren Aronofsky.

On his official Twitter account, Johnson recalls Fraser's support for the WWE icon's first movie role and calling Fraser his brother.

Dwayne Johnson's role as Mathayus in The Mummy sequel would eventually lead to his own spinoff film, The Scorpion King (2002). This would later lead to more leading roles in genre films such as Doom (2005), Get Smart (2008), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), and many others.

While he has not forgotten his pro wrestling roots in the WWE, Johnson has become one of Hollywood's most bankable box office stars, with his various films grossing over $10 billion worldwide. He is set to make his DC Extended Universe debut as Black Adam on October 21, 2022.

Meanwhile, The Whale is targeted for a North American theatrical premiere on December 9, 2022.