James Corden was once in the running to star in The Whale.
During a recent Q&A for his Amazon series Mammals, the late-night TV host revealed to Deadline that he auditioned for the lead role of morbidly obese English teacher Charlie in the film back when designer/filmmaker Tom Ford was attached to direct.
"I was going to play that part, and Tom Ford was going to direct," he commented, noting that he was also probably "too young" for the part at the time.
Editors at the outlet reported that Ford dropped out because he wanted "complete control" of the project, and that George Clooney was also considered to helm the film, but would only sign on if "an actual 600-pound unknown" was cast.
Ultimately, Darren Aronofsky was tapped to direct The Whale, which is based on an adaptation of Samuel D Hunter's 2012 play of the same name, with Brendan Fraser landing the part of Charlie.
Released in the US in December, the film has won critical praise, particularly for Fraser's performance.
The 54-year-old has been nominated in the Best Actor category for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
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