Brendan Fraser’s Oscar win for The Whale has been called into question by the beauty brand Dove.
They believe the role should have gone to an obese actor, rather than Fraser using prosthetics.
And have called for better representation in the entertainment industry.
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Now, Fraser started out as a major film success.
Being tall, hunky, and handsome, he often played the leading parts in action movies.
We all know his back catalog.
Some of his most profitable titles, earning hundreds of millions of dollars, included Airheads, George of the Jungle, The Mummy, and Bedazzled.
He was the star back in the 1990s, putting out film after film throughout the decade.
His name was on every poster, and everybody new who he was.
But then, he disappeared from the public eye around 2003…
It happened so slowly that it took people years to realize they weren’t seeing Fraser on the screen as much as they used to.
Eventually, Fraser returned shocking fans by how much he had changed
His eyes were less bright and less wide and he seemed to have lost that lively sparkle and goofiness that he was known for.
Well, in an interview with GQ back in 2018, Fraser opened up…
Turns out, the early 21st century was one the most difficult times in Fraser’s personal and professional life.
He went through the separation of his family and the loss of a family member.
Not only that, Fraser also began working in a way that became “destructive” and after taking on his own stunts, he suffered many injuries.
Fraser also opened up to GQ about a time at the HFPA luncheon in 2003, when he was approached by the former HFPA president Philip Berk to shake his hand.
However, Berk then pinched Fraser on the butt, something that Berk claimed to be a joke.
“His left-hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint,” Fraser told GQ. “And he starts moving it around.”
The incident left Fraser with panic and fear: “I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry.”
He managed to remove Berk’s hand, and rushed out of the building, “past a police officer he couldn’t quite bring himself to confess to.”
Even years on, he is still affected by the incident as he said: “Am I still frightened? Absolutely.”
“Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to, many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely. And maybe I am over-reacting in terms of what the instance was. I just know what my truth is. And it’s what I just spoke to you.”
Fraser also opened up in the interview about how thought that he didn’t deserve the shining career he had worked so hard to achieve for over a decade.
But there are so many fans out there who would and do fight to prove to Fraser that he’s wrong…
One of those fans is TikToker Lindley who went viral after she shared a video speaking with Fraser.
LADbible reported that Lindley spoke with Fraser through GalaxyCon Live where they discussed the news that Fraser had been cast in Killers of the Flower Moon.
In the video posted to TikTok, Fraser can be heard saying: “I’m going to work with Scorsese and Leo and Bob DeNiro,” to which Lindley congratulates him.
Fraser then said: “Thank you, I think I might be sick! A little anxious. I mean, it’s going to be fun, but I’m like,” before pretending to chew his finger nails.
“You’ve got this. You’ve got this,” Lindley then responded. “Just know that the internet is so behind you. We’re so supportive. There are so many people out there who love you, and we’re rooting for you. And we can’t wait to see what you do next.”
Fraser can be then seen taking a drink of water as he appears to choke up.
At the time, the video went viral with other fans expressing their love for the actor.
And then, Fraser responded to the video…
Talking at FANEXPO Boston, Fraser discussed the viral TikTok video.
According to LADbible, a fan attending the event asked Fraser: “Do you get like ‘this is kind of weird’ or like you know people are kind of taking it too far or do you just take it, you know?”
Responding to the question, Fraser said: “Just recently – and I’m not real big on social media, forgive me for that I’m apart from the Zelda thing – I did a like a meet and greet at a con and it went on to TikTok and I had a nice little chat with this lovely woman called Lindley, I learned her name.”
“It was big I’m told,” he said, before the fan jumped in to add: “You were kind of choking up.”
Fraser admitted he was while describing the Lindley as “so sincere.”
“I appreciate it and it let me know that I guess I just wasn’t aware that there’s that much support,” he said.
“I appreciate it very very much.”
The movie stars Stranger Things favorite Sadie Sink, alongside Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins.
The Whale had a world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival.
And what’s more, this is Darren Aronofsky’s first-ever directorial since Mother!
But he’s again joined by his longtime cinematographer Matthew Libatique, who has reportedly also shot Olivia Wilde’s Venice premiere Don’t Worry Darling.
While Fraser had a supporting role in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move last year, the actor is back with his first leading role since Breakout in 2013.
But that’s not all…
In the upcoming movie Fraser plays a man living with obesity.
Whose character will “struggle to reconnect with his seventeen-year-old daughter.”
The actor also opened up about his performance in The Whale…
“It’s gonna be like something you haven’t seen before,” he said.
“That’s really all I can tell you… The wardrobe and costume was extensive, seamless, cumbersome. This is certainly far removed from anything I’ve ever done but not to be coy… I do know it’s going to make a lasting impression,” Fraser revealed.
You can check out the first look here.
Since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it’s safe to say the movie is a hit.
After the movie ended and the credits began to roll, the whole audience erupted in cheers which lasted a whopping 6-minutes.
Fraser could be seen overcome with emotion as the crowd broke out in a standing ovation.
The actor could be seen hugging director Aronofsky, and at one point tried to leave the theater.
However, as the applause continued on, he bowed and stayed until the cheers died down.
You can watch the incredible reaction here.
And following the crowd’s reaction, some serious Oscars buzz has started.
Many are claiming that Fraser is set to clean up at the next Academy Awards with his new movie The Whale.
And he started bringing in the awards early as he won Best Actor at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Tribute Awards.
Fraser appeared thrilled by the announcement and gave a heartwarming speech as he took to the stage to accept the award.
“This is new for me, as these things go, because normally I’m the guy at the podium who hands these things out,” he said as he accepted the prize. “I got pretty good at it. The trick is left hand hold, right hand shake.”
The actor then revealed that this is the first official acting award he’s received.
“Apart from being a part of some pretty impressive and talented ensemble casts, I think that the last time that I waited to hear my name called aloud to receive an award was in grade four and it was from the peewee bowling league,” Fraser added.
You can watch his full acceptance speech here.
While everyone was impressed by his speech, it was his wife Jeanne Moore who was getting all the attention…
Previously, she was spotted for the first time at Venice Film Festival last month.
While Brendan opted for a suave black suit as he walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall…
His glamorous lady sported an electric blue gown for the event.
And with the buzz around The Whale still circulating, many said he was in for a chance to win a Golden Globe…
However, Brendan said that he wouldn’t attend if invited.
He opened up about the reason why in an interview with GQ…
“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” he said. “No, I will not participate.”
“It’s because of the history I have with them,” he added. “And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”
He seemed to imply it was because of an incident that took place back in 2003 where ex-HFPA president Philip Berk allegedly groped him.
Brendan told GQ back in 2018 that he didn’t speak out about the incident at the time because he was worried about his career.
“I felt like someone had thrown invisible paint on me,” he said.
He received a letter of apology from Berk after speaking out about the ordeal, but Berk is adamant that he did nothing wrong…
He said in a statement at the time: “Mr. Fraser’s version is a total fabrication.”
The star has also opened up about having to wear prosthetics for his new movie…
And has defended the fat suit after some have taken offense that it was used.
As we know, in the movie, Fraser plays the 600lb man, Charlie whose relationship with food is becoming fatal.
Although the movie has yet to be released, some social media users have shared that they feel the whole premise is “demoralizing” and “anti-fat.”
And Fraser has hit back, telling People: “I think it’s one of the more exacting ways you can create a character and body.
“In this case the mandate that Charlie’s costume would respect the laws of gravity and physics as opposed to the many ways that we’ve seen that character depicted in films before as really a one-note joke, and in a costume that’s just unfair.”
Fraser added that although not everyone might agree, he “felt an obligation to ensure that it was cumbersome.”
“It was accurate, that was what we strived for,” he explained.
A lot of effort was put into the research behind his character…
Not only did he speak to people struggling with weight issues, via the Obesity Action Coalition, but he also learned about the effect that much weight would have on the body so he could properly portray the character, as per Variety.
Previously, in 2018, Fraser opened up about historic abuse, which he felt “blacklisted” him from Hollywood.
The actor claimed he was the victim of s*xual abuse in Hollywood, and alleged that former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Philip Berk s*xually assaulted him — something Berk has always denied.
In an interview with GQ in 2018, Fraser claimed he was groped by Berk at an HFPA luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2003.
He said that left him feeling “miserable”, “depressed”, and “reclusive.”
“His left-hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around. I felt ill,” he said.
“I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry… In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me.
“Am I still frightened? Absolutely. Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely,” Fraser continued.
But that’s not all…
Fraser admitted that he wasn’t out of work by choice, but instead wasn’t being cast by filmmakers due to these accusations.
Fans were then shocked to learn that they’d been saying Fraser’s name wrong this whole time.
Having a 1-to-1 chat with Adam Sandler, one of the biggest topics of conversation was the pronunciation of Fraser’s name.
Fraser admitted that his name isn’t pronounced as ‘Frasier’, with a soft ‘s’ sound in the middle.
Many took to social media to share their thoughts on the revelation, with one user writing: “I’ve been saying Brendan Fraser’s name wrong for years.”
A second added: “I found this out this morning too and broke down.”
A third chimed: “I’m devastated.”
While a fourth commented: “My whole life has been a lie.”
So, how do you say his name correctly?
Well, at the very beginning of the recent episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Sandler explained when the pair first met.
“When I first met Brendan Fraser…” he said, unsure of the pronunciation of his name.
“That’s your full name, right? Brendan Fraser?”
Fraser replied: “It’s Fraser,” explaining that it’s supposed to be pronounced like ‘razor.’
“Like that thing you shave with,” he said while pretending to shave his jaw area.
And this weekend, Fraser hit headlines for another reason.
He took home the Best Actor award at the Oscars!
His emotional reaction has touched the internet’s hearts.
He joked: “So this is what the multiverse looks like!”
Fraser also thanked director Darren Aronofsky and production company A24.
Saying: “You laid your whale-sized hearts bare so we could see into your souls.”
“I started in this business 30 years ago,” he said.
“Things didn’t come easily to me but there was a facility I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped.”
However, not everybody was happy about the win.
“So disappointing that The Whale won the Oscar for best hair and makeup. Fat suits are harmful – they are not your opportunity to win awards. Our identity is not your costume. Cast fat actors to play fat characters. #TheWhale #fatphobia #fatsuit #Oscars,” one person wrote.
And it seems beauty brand Dove agrees.
They replied: “Stop giving fat suits awards We want better representation in Hollywood. #LetsChangeBeauty“
Where do you stand in the debate?