According to a new report, James Corden almost landed the role of Brendan Fraser in the award-season favorite Keith.
The Late Late Show host told Deadline’s Peter Hammond that he simultaneously joined the project, which follows a 600-pound man trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, and Tom Ford was directed directly.
“I wanted to play that role and Tom Ford wanted to direct,” Corden said. However, Corden and Ford did not make the film because “Ford wanted more complete control of the project,” Hammond wrote last week.
He added: “Corden also thinks he was too young to do it justice.”
BRENDAN FRASER REVELS HUNGER FOR ‘JUNGLE DOG’ ROLE: ‘WAXED ME’
James Corden says he almost played Brendan Fraser in The Whale.
(Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
According to Corden, George Clooney briefly considered directing, but only if he could find an actor who weighed around 600 pounds to play the lead role.
Tom Ford was ready to direct The Whale at short notice, James Corden said.
(Getty Images)
“As you can imagine, there were a lot of complications, and Clooney never had a brief flirtation with the property,” Hammond writes.
Brendan Fraser played the 600-pound man in The Whale.
(Getty Images)
“Whale” director Darren Aronofsky confirmed everything to Hammond in a different way, writes the commentator.
In October, Fraser again won acclaim for her performance in The Whale.
Fraser, 53, broke down in tears as she received a standing ovation for her second time – this time at the London Film Festival. The film was shown to the audience and the actor received a five-minute standing ovation.
The reaction to the film at the London Film Festival follows its debut at the Venice Film Festival in early September. The audience applauded the star of “Crash” for six minutes.
Frazier is back on the silver screen, which is what most people think An Oscar-nominated role.
The role marks a big comeback Fraser, as this is his first lead role in almost a decade. The “Mummy” star also has upcoming roles in Martin Scorsese’s latest Western, Killers of the Rose Moon, and Behind the Scenes of Night with Dawn Olivieri and Marcia Cross.
Representatives for Corden and Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.