E-Junkies: Brendan Fraser says Sadie Sink is 'jewel that's many-faceted'

Touted as Brendan Fraser's "comeback film", The Whale premiered to wide acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival on Sept 4 this year.

Despite being the man of the hour, Brendan had praises to sing for his onscreen daughter Sadie Sink instead in a recent interview with AsiaOne.

The 54-year-old said: "I think, as an actress whom I saw each day winning the game, she was that good. Sadie is the genuine article."

"I had a front-row seat to watch this kid come alive. She's like a jewel that's many-faceted - you look at it one way and go, 'Wow,' and then you change your perspective and, 'Wow' and again, 'Wow.'"

He also wondered if Sadie's acting prowess in season four of Stranger Things could be "left over" from her playing Ellie in The Whale.

"It's no mistake that she can stare down a really scary monster called Vecna, whereas I don't think anybody else in that show could've done it the same way she did," Brendan said.

The Whale stars Brendan as Charlie, an obese English professor who is a recluse and keeps his webcam turned off during his online classes, afraid to show his appearance to his students. His only friend is his nurse Liz (Hong Chau), who urges him to get medical attention for potential congestive heart failure.

He is also visited by Thomas (Ty Simpkins), a Christian missionary trying to evangelise him.

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Charlie tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter Ellie (Sadie), who agrees only if her father helps her rewrite an essay for school, and in return, must write in a notebook he provides. Charlie's health soon begins to decline.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Whale, rated M18 for some homosexual content, will be released in Singapore on Dec 29.

Sadie, 20, is a fan of Brendan as well. She recently revealed that, after being cast as his daughter, she watched all of his movies.

She told Hong, 43: "I think School Ties, you'll really like it. He's so good in it, give it a go."

In 1992's School Ties, Brendan acts as a Jewish student who lands a scholarship to attend an elite prep school, but finds out many of his classmates are antisemitic and must hide his identity to fit in.

For the full interview including what Brendan, Sadie, Hong and Sam Hunter (the original playwright of the play that The Whale is based on) would do if they only had a short time to live like Charlie, watch our latest episode of E-Junkies.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDL4Fyfqk7Y[/embed]

drimac@asiaone.com

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