Magical Moment: Brendan Fraser Wins Best Actor Oscar for The Whale

Despite his massive appeal during the late 90s and the early 2000s, the actor has never been nominated before. 

This year marked the first nomination and win for Brendan. It was for his amazing performance in The Whale. 

Brendan Fraser managed to nab the award over several prominent male actors. The list included Austin Butler for Elvis and Paul Mescal for Aftersun, among many others.  

“So this is what the multiverse looks like!” Brendan exclaimed. Later on, he thanked both the director and the screenwriter, Darren Aronofsky and Samuel D. Hunter, for their continuous support. He also included his fellow nominees.  

Brendan Fraser had a lot to say during his victory speed. Referring to the title of the movie, the actor stated, “Only whales can swim at the depth of the talent of Hong Chau and I started in this business 30 years ago and things, they didn't come easily to me.” 

Fraser has mostly dominated the entire 2023. He managed to win the Screen Actors Guild Award previously for his outstanding performance.  

Brendan was even awarded the Critics Choice Award for his role in The Whale. Besides this, the actor was nominated at the Golden Globes as well as the BAFTA Awards. 

While Fraser seemed over the moon, he couldn’t help but tear up as he accepted the award. He thanked the director “for throwing me a creative lifeline.” 

The actor mentioned his 30-year-long career in Hollywood. According to Brendan, there were several aspects of his journey that he didn’t appreciate “until it stopped.”  

The actor had red eyes as he barely held back tears by the end of his speech. He thanked his children and his partner, Jeanne Moore, for their continuous support.  

As a pun, Fraser mostly used whale-inspired references as he made his speech. “Gentlemen, you laid your whale-sized hearts bare,” he said as he mentioned his fellow nominees.  

Talking about his fellow competitors for the award, Fraser mentioned how it was an honor to be named alongside them all in the category. 

Brendan Fraser was known for his many roles on the big screen back in the 1990s. However, an alleged incident involving the then-president of the Golden Globes put a stop to his work. 

The actor retreated away from Hollywood following an alleged sexual assault by Philip Berk. The actor also faced a difficult time due to his divorce and the death of his mother.  

Fraser wasn’t the director's first choice when it came to his leading man. However, after getting a chance to meet Fraser, Aronofsky thought that there was no one else who could do justice to the role. 

Despite his long absence, many fans eagerly awaited his return to the big screen. The actor received a standing ovation when the movie first screened at Venice Film Festival back in September 2022.  

The film is a sensitive portrayal of a man battling morbid obesity as he tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter.  

Though the movie is an absolute must-watch, The Whale is uncomfortable for most. It also required extreme dedication by Fraser to perform it well. 

The main purpose of the movie was to showcase the struggle that people with obesity face. For this reason, Brenan wore up to 300 Ibs. of prosthetics which made even the simple task of getting up from the sofa extremely difficult.