Brendan Fraser may have missed out on a Golden Globe win last week, but at last night’s Critics’ Choice Awards he walked away with the Best Actor award everyone has waiting for him to take home. Fraser was there to accept the award, and gave an emotional speech in response to the win for his performance in the Darren Arnonofsky drama The Whale.

Having already gained huge acclaim for his role from critics, Fraser is also expected to pick up the same award at the upcoming Academy Awards. For now, his Critics Choice win has set him onto the path to glory, and he was overcome by the moment. Addressing the audience, he began his speech by quoting Herman Melville, saying:

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He continued to praise The Whale’s director, and his co-star Sadie Sink, for the part they have played in both the success of the movie and allowing him to be part of it. Of Aronofsky he said:

“‘There are only five critics in America; the rest are asleep.’ I don’t know what it means either, but I’m so glad you woke up for me.”

In closing, he referenced his character’s struggles in The Whale, and turned it into a metaphor for life, explaining how sometimes you just need to have strength to make it against the odds. He added:

“I was in the wilderness and I probably should’ve left a trail of breadcrumbs, but you found me… and like all the best directors, you merely just showed me where to go to get to where I needed to be.”

“If you, like a guy like Charlie, who I played in this movie, in any way struggle with obesity, or you just feel like you’re in a dark sea, I want you to know that if you too can have the strength to just get to your feet and go to the light, good things will happen.”

Will Brendan Fraser Will the Best Actor Oscar For The Whale?

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There is no doubt that Brendan Fraser is certainly in contention to pick up an Academy Award for his role in The Whale, but faces some tough competition in a category that potentially will include Colin Farrell, Hugh Jackman and Austin Butler. At the Golden Globes, Butler and Farrell both won Best Actor awards in the respective categories of Drama and Musical or Comedy, and while Fraser was kept out of that particular loop, his history with the awards led many on social media to question whether his win was ever a possibility on the night.

However, when it comes to the Oscars, any of the three could take the top actor prize and most of those predicting the results have claimed that the category is very much a three-horse race to the finish. With all three of the actors having now picked up an award for their leading roles, it is going to be impossible to foresee which way the Oscar will go come the awards ceremony.