‘The Whale’: ‘Watchmen’ And ‘Homecoming’ Actress Hong Chau Cast In Darren Aronofsky’s Next Film
Hong Chauis about to star in a whale of a movie.
The actress, who recently appeared in the Amazon drama seriesHomecomingand HBO’s highly acclaimed limited seriesWatchmen, is the latest performer to joinThe Whalecast for directorDarren Aronofsky. This will be his first film since 2017’s divisivemother!– which, for the record, is fantastic. Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) is already on board to play the male lead, and a new report says Chau is now on board as the female lead. That report also suggests that aMinority Reportactress and aStranger Thingsactress are in talks to play supporting roles in the movie, and you can find out more about that below.
Deadline reports that Hong Chau, who broke out with her performance in Alexander Payne’s 2017 filmDownsizing, has joined Brendan Fraser inThe Whalecast. Here’s a description ofthe story, which is based onSamuel D. Hunter’s 2012 stage play:
On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a six hundred pound recluse hides away in his apartment, eating himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, The Whale tells the story of a man’s last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.
Fraser will play the 600-pound man, and Chau will play his best friend. The outlet also says thatSamantha Morton, who played the pre-cog Agatha in Steven Spielberg’sMinority Report, andSadie Sink, who plays the red-headed tomboy Max on Netflix’sStranger Things, are currently in talks to join the film. There’s no word on which character Morton would play, but if Sink’s deal goes through, she would play Fraser’s character’s daughter.
A24 is producing the movie with Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures, and Hunter (Greater Clements) will write the script based on his own play.
Chau previously appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson’sInherent Viceand on HBO shows likeTremeandBig Little Lies. She earned awards attention for playing Ngoc Lan Tran inDownsizing, portrayed the mysterious Lady Trieu onWatchmen, and appeared on both seasons ofHomecomingas the ruthless Audrey Temple. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from her quite a bit, so I’m looking forward to seeing her continue to get her name on peoples' radars in Hollywood and beyond.
