Darren Aronofsky has hit back at claims of fatphobia against 'The Whale'.

The 53-year-old director has helmed the new movie that stars Brendan Fraser as an obese and reclusive English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.

The movie has received polarising reviews but Fraser's portrayal has impressed critics and he has been tipped for glory at the Oscars.

The star gained weight for the part and wore a prosthetic fatsuit but some critics have questioned the movie's handling of the subject matter and Aronofsky admits that the backlash has caught him by surprise.

In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, the 'Black Swan' director said: "Actors have been using makeup since the beginning of acting - that's one of their tools. And the lengths we went to portray the realism of the makeup has never been done before.

"One of my first calls after casting Brendan was to my makeup artist, Adrien Morot. I asked him, 'Can we do something that's realistic?' Because if it's going to look like a joke, then we shouldn't do it."

Darren explained that he wanted a "fully worked-out" obese character and felt that Brendan was the perfect performer for the role of Charlie.

He said: "People with obesity are generally written as bad guys or as punchlines.

"We wanted to create a fully worked-out character who has bad parts about him and good parts about him; Charlie is very selfish, but he's also full of love and is seeking forgiveness. So (the controversy) makes no sense to me.

"Brendan Fraser is the right actor to play this role, and the film is an exercise in empathy."

Darren recently suggested that the movie is timely as it is being realised in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has left many people isolated from their loved ones.

He said: "I think we've all been in Charlie's position in the last few years. We've lost so much human connection, and this film is about people who are isolated but trying to connect."