Robert Kojder chats with The Whale stars Sadie Sink and Hong Chau…
While much of the noise surrounding Darren Aronofsky’s emotionally draining The Whale is centered on Brendan Fraser’s brilliant performance as Charlie, a reclusive obese English professor, there also happen to be other terrific performances within it. They also happen to come from talent on the verge of breaking into the mainstream (it could also be argued one has already done so).
Sadie Sink (most known for Netflix’s Stranger Things) plays Ellie, the troubled and nasty estranged daughter to Charlie, who is looking to make amends with her before dying. Then there is his nurse and friend, played by Hong Chau, who is not without moments of mean words (the difference between the two is that she instantly regrets them and doesn’t really mean them) but empathizes with Charlie.
While I can’t say I have seen Stranger Things (I promise I will fix that), I have been admiring Sadie Sink’s recent work in movies, especially the Fear Street trilogy (which is also on Netflix), and impressed with Hong Chau who can also be currently seen in the wickedly funny satire of foodies and the rich, The Menu. She is also outstanding in a smaller film from a few years ago called Driveways everyone should check out if they enjoy her work.
As for Sadie’s and Hong’s performances in The Whale, they are two of the finest all year. It feels like a foregone conclusion that one of them will receive a Best Supporting Actor nomination, so it was a great honor to speak briefly with them about their remarkable work. Read and enjoy
You both are phenomenal in this movie, and I loved it.
Sadie Sink and Hong Chau: Oh, thank you!
Darren’s films are typically bleak, but this one is bursting with a positive message and a plea for kindness. Was that something that drew either of you to these roles and the challenge of working on something so emotionally draining?
HC: I definitely felt like this movie was ambitious in terms of emotion. It’s really hard to earn that in a movie. For us, it was really just about trying to show the full humanity of these characters, make those relationships between them ring true, and have the stakes be real. I’m glad that you felt that we were successful in that.
It’s definitely earned. Sadie, your role requires you to say nasty things to Brendan Fraser repeatedly, but what were the conversations between takes? I’m assuming lots of apologizing.
SS: [laughs] Not really. Honestly. I hate to say it, but I’d gotten really used to it during rehearsals. We rehearsed for three weeks before, so the dialogue wasn’t particularly shocking by the time we were filming. In between takes, I feel like a conversation and any kind of interaction were very limited. For one, we were shooting before the vaccine was available, and there were a lot of strict Covid precautions in place, so we had to keep our distance. Also, Brendan was being whisked away to fix something on the prosthetics or to go cool off (Interviewer’s note: the body suit is reported to be around 300 pounds). So there really wasn’t much interaction between takes. It was very focused, and I was only speaking to him for the most part as Ellie, which is very not in line with what I would normally say to Brendan.
HC: Yeah, this was not a movie where we were playing pranks on each other between takes.
Speaking of the rehearsal, was there anything you learned about the characters during that process or was there anything you brought to Sam Hunter (the screenwriter and creator of the stageplay) that you wanted to tweak a little bit?
SS: I don’t think anything needed tweaking with Sam’s writing. We were just full of questions. Sam was there for the entire rehearsal period and the entire shooting duration. It was really helpful to have him there, and he’d come in with little insights on the characters every once in a while or the true meaning behind a specific line. But yeah, it was incredibly helpful to pick his brain every once in a while, especially with characters as complex and sometimes confusing as these.
Hong, You get a couple of lighter and jokier moments with Brendan Fraser. Can you talk about what it was like to find bits of humor in such a depressing situation but a wonderful friendship?
HC: I loved finding those playful moments between Liz and Charlie. I think it was important for the audience to get to see glimpses of who Charlie was before meeting him for the first time in the story and to show what a lover he was and still is. Brendan Fraser is so sweet and a big child, so forming a friendship is very easy. I found myself on set, sort of naturally wanting to take care of him because he was encumbered with that prosthetic suit. So I just wanted to make sure his water bottle was close by so that he could stay hydrated and make sure he had time to go to the bathroom if he wanted to and tuck little things here and there for him that maybe were hard for him to reach. It was just a really organic and natural relationship.
Sadie, you’re incredible during the closing moments, and I don’t think that ending works as beautifully as it does if you don’t properly convey Ellie’s barriers coming down during it. So what was it that helped you nail those expressions and that final scene in general?
SS: I think that was the moment that I was really looking forward to throughout the entire process because, yeah, as you said, the barrier completely comes down, and with Ellie, that’s her fight. Throughout the movie, she constantly tries to keep this armor up, but Charlie keeps breaking it down. So it was such a release at the end, and a slight moment where you see it completely shatter, but it felt really rewarding. It was definitely the most important moment in the film for her. There’s a little pressure to get it right, but at that point, I just really wanted it for her.
Thank you, both of you, for your time.
SS and HC: Thank you!
SEE ALSO: Read our review of The Whale here
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
Originally published December 7, 2022. Updated December 11, 2022.
