Brendan Fraser is still making the rounds with his film The Whale. By now, it’s pretty well established that his fans, who are large in number, are thrilled to have him back. What’s been lovely to watch is how vocal they are letting Brendan know how much he’s loved. In Venice, Brendan received a six-minute standing ovation following the premier of the film. He was so overwhelmed by the reception, he attempted to leave but the film’s director Darren Aronofsky convinced him to stay and soak it up. There was a screening in London on Tuesday that Brendan, Darren, and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter (who also wrote the play) attended. Once again, Brendan was given a five-minute ovation that seemed to be all about him.
Brendan Fraser is getting emotional again.
On Tuesday, the 53-year-old actor came close to tears when honored with a 5-minute standing ovation for his role in The Whale at the London Film Festival.
Fraser went on stage as the credits rolled for the movie screening and took a bow, causing the audience to cheer even louder. He was later joined by director Darren Aronofsky and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter.
Audience member Steph Tataryn commented that Fraser deserved “ALL THE AWARDS” after watching the movie in the British capital.
“Fraser gives everything and beyond and not a second of screen time is wasted,” she added on social media. “Heartbreaking and painful to watch at times but impossible to turn away from.”
“Am I at Venice?” added fellow guest Lauren Bradshaw in reference to an 8-minute standing ovation Fraser received at the Venice Film Festival last month.
“5 min standing ovation for Brendan Fraser’s masterpiece performance in #TheWhale. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire movie. My heart is in my throat,” Bradshaw added.
I emphasize that these displays of appreciation and affection are for Brendan because the film itself is controversial. Brendan’s role itself is an issue in that he had to don prosthetics to fully become the 600-pound character he plays. I’ve heard Brendan’s portrayal is very good, but a few reviews say his performance is the only redeemable thing about the film. I think this further supports my point, though, that people want Brendan to know how much he’s loved as an actor and how much we’re welcoming him back. It’s a hard line to draw because on the one hand, one doesn’t want to throw too much support to a problematic film. On the other, I hope every filmmaker in Hollywood is watching how many people will support a project simply because Brendan is in it. Not just because I like him, but because he’s suffered enough and he a damn good actor.
Am I at Venice? 5 min standing ovation for Brendan Fraser’s masterpiece performance in #TheWhale. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire movie. My heart is in my throat. #LFF @a24 pic.twitter.com/dHsCAErgu0
— Lauren Bradshaw (@flickchickdc) October 11, 2022
Photo credit: Avalon Red and Twitter
I am happy for him, but a movie about an obese man’s struggles called “The Whale” just shows you how little compassion we have as a society.
A double entendre—it’s also about his passion for Moby Dick.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
I’m so happy he is getting such a positive and supportive reception. He is so nice and what he went through was awful and tabloids were utterly cruel. I imagine he is bringing the emotional resonance to the role given how sites like Perez Hilton trashed his weight gain after he had that experience with a sexual predator (which is how we should be describing anyone who is sexually invasive of someone without their consent so it becomes clear how serious an offence it is regardless of the sex of the victim)
I’ve mentioned it before, but he’s one of the few celebrities I’ve met. In an airport like a dozen years ago…I was SO excited, and he was SO kind and genuinely sweet.
Seeing him receive this kind of love again after everything he’s been through, with the kind of heart he has, is so special. He’s just lovely and such a pure soul.
That’s such a cute story. I’m so glad he was as nice in person as he seems to be. 🙂
Believe it or not, I met him twice in the same day. This was back in the day, for both of us. I met friends for lunch at the Central Park Boathouse in NYC. Arriving late to the table, I quickly and without really looking, put my hand on an empty chair at the next table and asked if I could use it. Who was at the table? Yes, Brendan Fraser! He kindly said “of course.” Then later that evening, I went to a Broadway play and who should pull up in a limo just as I was crossing its path to enter the theater? Yes! Brendan Fraser! Our eyes met and he definitely recognized me. But sadly, that is where our tale ends.
Yeah, I don’t have a huge desire to see the film but I’m thrilled to hear that his performance is so good and so well-received because hopefully, it’ll just lead to more and more success for him.
There are very few actors that everyone seems to collectively love and support, but he’s one of them and that’s the power of a good reputation. See also, Keanu Reeves.
Here’s why I dislike this play and this film: the playwright was never 600 pounds anywhere but his mind. His body dysmorphia of extremely slight weight gain and now extreme thinness warps whatever was supposed to be gained by making the main character 600 pounds. It’s such an extreme exaggeration to illustrate how he was living with his eating disorder and body dysmorphia.
The play is saved slightly by having the actor appear almost in a puppet costume, but I don’t think the film will do this. Everything I have read so far is DA framing Charlie as grotesque.
You are not 600 pounds without an underlying medical issue. Fat storage is autonomous, it is not controlled by anyone’s conscious self. Hormones are a big part of why your body choose to store fat. Diet is only one part of why your body would store fat. Exercise is an even smaller part of why your body chooses to store fat.
The point is, you are not eating your way to 600 pounds as the play & worse so the film insinuates.
Thank you for the clarity and distinction in this article.
Brendan is a lovely man, in a world where decency is underappreciated.
Interesting how a dude is praised for playing a 600 lb person with prosthetics (watch any TLC, we got lots of people that size in America at least so they could have hired an actual 600 lb person) yet women get torn up for wearing a much smaller fat suite for taking a job away from a larger actor. The standard we hold
Women to is ridiculous and unfair IMO. I have no interest in seeing this movie but I think actors should be allowed to do their job and act and wear costumes make up and prosthetics since that is part of their job without being destroyed for doing it regardless of their gender.
I can absolutely understand your point. I know the comments on the first article about the film were very divided.
To me, from what I know of the plot, the main character is not just very heavy, he is morbidly obese and very close to death (not from his weight but from, I think, heart failure). So it would be worse, or just as troubling, to hire someone larger, not use any kind of prosthetics and present that real person’s real body as, “You are so big because you are dying and it is grossly grossly unhealthy.”
Just my opinion.
One of my favorite movies ever is Blast From the Past. Watch Blast From the Past dance scene on google.