Beloved actor Brendan Fraser has responded to his first ever Oscar nomination. The Brenaissance is now blooming beautifully, with Fraser getting the nod for Best Actor for his performance in The Whale at the 95th Academy Awards, and the actor has now sent his gratitude (via Aframe) to the Academy and everyone involved in making the movie.
Based on the 2012 play by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale sees The Mummy star Brendan Fraser leading the latest outing from director Darren Aronofsky. Fraser stars as Charlie, a 600-pound middle-aged man who tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter. The two have grown apart after Charlie abandoned his family for his gay lover, who later died, which leads to Charlie binge-eating out of pain and guilt.
“I’m absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy for this recognition and for recognizing Hong Chau’s beautiful performance and Adrien Morot’s incredible makeup. I wouldn’t have this nomination without Darren Aronofsky, Samuel D. Hunter, A24 and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of Charlie. A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life. THANK YOU!”
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Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written for the screen by Samuel D. Hunter, The Whale stars Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins alongside Brendan Fraser, with Stranger Things star Sadie Sink starring as Ellie, Charlie’s daughter.
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Darren Aronofsky Has Revealed to MovieWeb Why He Cast Brendan Fraser in The Whale
A24
Director Darren Aronofsky has revealed exclusively to MovieWeb why he felt he had to cast Fraser for the lead role in The Whale, with the George of the Jungle star coming out of nowhere to provide the filmmaker with an “aha” moment.
“When I saw the play 10 years ago, I was really moved by the characters who were very different from myself,” Aronofsky said of Fraser’s career. “I met with Sam and started working on the screenplay for a while, but I just couldn’t figure out the character of Charlie [for the film version]. There was nothing that really excited me to get out of bed and fight for it. Then Brendan came along, and that was one of those aha moments. I had never thought of him [for the role]. It was a pretty cool idea, and he was a super sweet guy, and clearly very hungry to take something. That’s where it began.”
The transformation achieved by Fraser in The Whale blew even Aronofsky away, with the director excited to see what the actor does next. “It’s almost impossible to believe when I was watching The Whale, that it was the same human,” Aronofsky added. “That’s exciting because Brendan’s suddenly this new actor and voice that so many people clearly love. But Brendan is not Charlie. They’re in no way related to each other. That’s an acting job. So, the potential of what Brendan is going to bring to the big screen, the little screen, and all screens ahead, is really exciting. As a fan now myself, I’m excited to see what he does.”
Alongside Best Actor for Brendan Fraser, The Whale has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Hong Chau and Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 95th Academy Awards.
