Brendan Fraser, the ’90s heartthrob who made a career comeback with his Oscar season performance in “The Whale,” won best actor.
“So this is what the multiverse looks like!” exclaimed an emotional Fraser.
He then went on to thank his cast, crew, and family in a nautical-themed speech.
“Darren Aronofsky threw me a creative lifeline and hauled me aboard the good ship ‘The Whale,'” Fraser said. “That was written by Samuel D. Hunter, our lighthouse keeper. Gentleman, you bared your whale-sized hearts for us to peer into your souls as no one else could. It is an honor to be included in this category with you. Only whales can swim at the depth of talent that Hong Chau [fellow nominee]possesses.”
“I started in this business 30 years ago; things didn’t come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped. I just wanted to express my gratitude for this recognition. It couldn’t have happened without my cast. It’s as if I’ve been on a diving expedition, and the air on the line to the surface is being monitored by people in my life, such as my sons.”
Fraser won the Academy Award for his performance as Charlie, a housebound 600-pound English teacher attempting to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter, Sadie Sink.
The 54-year-old actor maintained a commanding lead throughout the awards season, beginning with a 14-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. Fraser also won the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards. When asked about the Oscar buzz at the Variety TIFF studio back in the beginning, Fraser quoted author Herman Melville, saying, “I know not all that may come, but come what may, I will go to it laughing.”
Originally staged as an off-Broadway production in New York, original screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter adapted it for A24. Despite the playwright’s pedigree and the fact that previous Oscar nominee Aronofsky was attached to direct, it took ten years to cast Charlie. “I considered pretty much anyone on the planet to play this role,” Aronofsky said in an interview with Variety. “Sam’s [Hunter’s] writing would attract many actors to play the role, so that wasn’t the issue; it was about getting that feeling inside of a reason to make the film. “Having Brendan in the film was a reason for making the film.”
Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”), and Bill Nighy (“Living”) were also nominated for best actor.
Other Oscar nominations for “The Whale” included Hong Chau for supporting actress, as well as makeup and hairstyling.
