Actor Brenda Fraser is creating awards season buzz after the premiere of his new movie, The Whale, at the Venice Film Festival yesterday.
The movie, in which Fraser plays an obese, 600lb, gay man seeking to reconnect with his daughter, went down well with its audience. In fact, they gave it a six-minute standing ovation at the Sala Grande.
Related: Brendan Fraser to play a 600lb, gay recluse in new movie, The Whale
Fraser and director Darren Aronofsky were in attendance for the screening and took the stage. Variety says Fraser “sobbed throughout the six-minute standing ovation.”
An emotional Brendan Fraser during the 6 minute standing ovation for The Whale at the 79th Venice Film Festival.
— Madman Films (@MadmanFilms) September 4, 2022
The Whale is based on a 2012 play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter. Stranger Things star Sadie Sink plays the part of Fraser’s 17-year-old daughter. Hong Chau, Samantha Morton and Ty Simpkins also have roles.
Fraser, 53, shot to fame in the 1990s in movies such as George of The Jungle and The Mummy. However, he all but disappeared from Hollywood in the last decade. He has previously spoken about battling depression and being sexually assaulted by a senior figure within Hollywood.
Related: Brendan Fraser talks about being sexually assaulted by Hollywood boss in shocking new interview
What the critics are saying about Brendan Fraser
Yesterday’s premiere screening of The Whale has earned Fraser some of the best reviews of his career.
Deadline’s Damon Wise wrote that Fraser’s “all-in performance… makes adjectives such as ‘brave’ and ‘fearless’ seem almost meaningless” and said The Whale is “cutting the line to put a never-better Brendan Fraser at the front of the Best Actor race.”
Writing in Variety, Owen Gleiberman says in this role, “Fraser is a better actor — slyer, subtler, more haunting — than he has ever been.”
Fraser donned prosthetics for the role. He told reporters at the premiere, “By far and away I think Charlie is the most heroic man I have ever played. His superpower is to see the good in others and bring that out of them.”
The Whale hits theaters in the US on December 9.
Vince
Always wondered what happened to him. He seemed to be on top of it all. Fit, VGL in demand actor. He was the Chris Pratt of the 90s. Then he just disappeared.
Looks like a must see movie.
bachy
The narrative trajectory of Fraser’s career is very puzzling. The article linked above describes Fraser’s 2003 sexual assault, where he describes being groped by Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as a seriously traumatic event integral to his departure from acting, and which led to the ignominious collapse of Berk’s career.
And now, Fraser reemerges in an Oscar-worthy portrayal of a morbidly obese gay man seeking redemption in The Whale. I’m very curious to read an interview which might bring some narrative sense to these events!
JRamonMc
During the production of a series of movies which required him to film lots of physical stunts, he sustained multiple injuries including back trauma which severely impacted his health. His disappearance from the scene is a direct result of these injuries. Cudos to Brendan for returning to the big screen!
Max
he was fantastic in the first season of Condor.
v6origal97
Bravo. What a moment – and we’ll deserved. He’s done some smaller things lately, and he’s been amazing. He re -emerged as Cliff in Doomsday Patrol, with his voice acting, and he was one of the best pets of 2021’s “No Sudden Move.” He’s been through a lot, and he seems to truly be one of the good humans, on the planet. I am looking forward to this movie, and hopefully, some Oscar buzz for him.
Jim
Brandon is back.
He showed us what he could do in “Gods and Monsters”
We really should be surprised at his killing this role.
LumpyPillows
That was a great movie and role!
humble charlie
don’t forget his harrowing divorce that skinned his psyche alive.
Jbaltes
How long before the “body image/body shaming police” start their rant? Wait for it…..
dbmcvey
I’m really glad! He’s always been a really good, and underappreciated actor.