Brendan Fraser's Autistic Son, Griffin, Inspirse Him In the Making Of Oscar Nominations - The Whale

James Ramsey

With reference to his fat and autistic eldest son Griffin, Brendan Fraser has remarked that he "understands" what it is like to be close to someone who struggles with obesity.
The actor, 53, who portrays an obese father in the movie The Whale, addressed the role after seeing the movie with his three youngest sons—Griffin, 20, Holden, and Leland, 16—at a screening in New York City.
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"I have three kids of my own, my oldest son Griffin has special needs - he's autistic. He just turned 20, he's a big kid, he's six foot five, he's got big hands and feet, a big body. I understand intimately what it is to be close to a person who lives with obesity." the man said to Interview Magazine.
Brendan's ex-wife Afton Smith, whom he divorced in 2007 after nine years of marriage, is the mother of his three sons. Griffin is the "happiest person" in the father of life, three's he said, adding that because of his autism, he has no concept of what cynicism is.
"And because of the beauty of his spectrum - call it a disorder if you will, I disagree with you - he knows nothing of irony. He doesn't know what cynicism is. You can't insult him. He can't insult you. He's the happiest person and is, in my life and many others, also the manifestation of love. Being with my kids and their mom and our family has given me such love that if ever I needed to hold something of value up to try and translate that to what was important to Charlie [character in The Whale], I didn’t have to look far."
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Brendan underwent bodily metamorphosis to portray an obese father in a wheelchair who is attempting to rekindle his relationship with his daughter in the psychological drama The Whale (Sadie Sink). He had to spend four hours each day getting the bulky 300-pound outfit tailored in order to portray English instructor Charlie, who weighs 600 pounds. Brendan called the job the "hardest thing" he's ever done, but he said that because of Charlie's love for his own children, he was able to comprehend what was essential to Charlie.