Brendan Fraser’s new movie The Whale received a lot of praise after its premiere, so much so, that he’s already won an award!
And it’s his humble acceptance speech that has left fans in awe of the actor…
Scroll down to find out more.
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 reports 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 has 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 will also star Stranger Things favorite Sadie Sink, alongside Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins.
According to Variety, The Whale will have 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…
According to reports, in the upcoming movie Fraser plays a man living with obesity.
Whose character will “struggle to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter.”
Fraser has Killers of the Flower Moon hitting our screens later this year too.
While there is no release date for The Whale, fans are excited to see their favorite star back in action again.
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.
And now, since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, 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.
Fraser even gained some words of support from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Johnson and Fraser starred alongside each other in 2001’s The Mummy Returns.
And upon seeing the emotional video, The Rock took to Twitter to share his beautiful story…
“Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan,” he wrote.
“He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career.
“Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky. #TheWhale,” he finished.
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’s already started bringing in the awards early as he recently won Best Actor at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Tribute Awards on Saturday.
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.