The Venice Film Festival has only just begun and already there's Oscar talk bouncing around the screening rooms, specifically for actor Brendan Fraser.
Though he's been active on television, Fraser, once an A-lister and '90s heartthrob, has been all but absent from the big screen in recent years. But his headlining performance in Darren Aronofsky's new film The Whale, though controversial, just might change that.
Social media has become captivated by a video showing Fraser tearing up as the Venice crowd thunderously applauded him for six full minutes at the conclusion of The Whale—and his emotion is so palpable it's hard not to tear up right along with him.
\u201cBrendan Fraser is back \u2014 and he sobbed during the #Venezia79 six-minute standing ovation for #TheWhale.\u201d— Ramin Setoodeh (@Ramin Setoodeh) 1662329536
Fraser rose to prominence in the '90s as a muscle-bound hunk in teen comedies like Encino Man and George of the Jungle. He soon moved on to a mix of action blockbusters like The Mummy franchise and prestigious Oscar-bait fare like Gods and Monsters and 2005's Best Picture Oscar winner Crash.
But while he never stopped working, his status as a leading man soon began to erode. Multiple injuries from stunt work saw him in and out of hospitals for nearly seven years and unable to maintain his previously buff physique.
And he told GQ he suspects that going public about an incident of sexual harassment he suffered resulted in him being blacklisted in certain parts of Hollywood.
By all accounts, The Whale, an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter's play of the same name, is a gate-crashing return to prominence for the actor that just might leave all of his tribulations firmly in the past.
Fraser plays Charlie, a reclusive English teacher who weighs 600 lbs and is trying to reconnect with his daughter, played by Stranger Things' Sadie Sink, despite being emotionally incapable of leaving his home.
In an interview, Aronofsky said it took him 10 years to get The Whale made, mainly because he couldn't find the right actor for Charlie. After looking at "every single movie star on the planet," he rediscovered Fraser in a low-budget Brazilian film and, as he put it, "a lightbulb went off."
The film has not been without its controversies. Activists for fat acceptance have called both the film and Fraser's casting fatphobic, especially because Fraser wears extensive "fat suit" prosthetics in the film.
Others have countered that the humanity of the story and the realities of being an obese person the film depicts supersede these criticisms—especially since the play is based on Hunter's own experiences with depression and "self-medicating with food."
Regardless of the controversy, the outpouring of support for Fraser and his tearful standing ovation has certainly tugged on social media's heartstrings
\u201cBrendan Fraser is back \u2014 and he sobbed during the #Venezia79 six-minute standing ovation for #TheWhale.\u201d— Ramin Setoodeh (@Ramin Setoodeh) 1662329536
\u201cWe must protect Brendan Frasier at all costs \ud83e\udd79\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffb\n\nA 6-minute standing ovation for his performance in \u2018The Whale\u2019.https://t.co/FnENc0NaQ1\u201d— DR Movie News \ud83d\udcfd (@DR Movie News \ud83d\udcfd) 1662333791
\u201cIf you know anything about Brendan Fraser\u2019s personal life and what happened to his career, then you should be cheering for this man. What a beautiful moment that\u2019s is well deserved. The beginning of something special.\u201d— Giovanni Lago (@Giovanni Lago) 1662330272
\u201cDoes anybody else get a little bit overly emotional to see happy things happen for Brendan Fraser? Or is that just me? \ud83d\udc95\u201d— leoni horton \ud83c\udf4b (@leoni horton \ud83c\udf4b) 1662293917
\u201c|\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3\uffe3|\n BRENDAN FRASER IS\n A NATIONAL TREASURE\n|\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f\uff3f|\n (\__/) ||\n (\u2022\u3145\u2022) ||\n / \u3065\u201d— Angelica Trae (@Angelica Trae) 1662415663
\u201cThis is a Brendan Fraser appreciation tweet.\u201d— Films to Films \ud83d\udcfd\ud83c\udfac (@Films to Films \ud83d\udcfd\ud83c\udfac) 1662212946
\u201cI love the fact that the world as a whole has decided Brendan Fraser must be protected at all costs and deserves every bit of happiness. And if that includes being in films and shows again, then we\u2019re in. If not, we\u2019re still in. If he\u2019s happy, we\u2019re happy\u201d— N. M. Mainardi - Nicole is \ud83d\udd8bquerying\u2712\ufe0f (@N. M. Mainardi - Nicole is \ud83d\udd8bquerying\u2712\ufe0f) 1662332425
\u201cThe fact that Brendan Fraser winning an Oscar is a genuine possibility and not just a pipe dream of mine has been a GENUINE source of joy for me. I\u2019m so happy for him\u201d— Adriano \ud83d\udc33 Caporusso \ud83d\udd1c TIFF22 (@Adriano \ud83d\udc33 Caporusso \ud83d\udd1c TIFF22) 1662242723
\u201cnobody deserves a career comeback more than brendan fraser. this man has been through hell and back and i\u2019m so here for all the buzz and recognition he\u2019s getting again\u201d— hannah (@hannah) 1661958414
\u201cSo happy to see all this love for Brendan Fraser, the man deserves the world for making our childhoods so awesome.\u201d— Andrew\ud83e\udd87\ud83d\udd77 (@Andrew\ud83e\udd87\ud83d\udd77) 1662324719
As for Fraser, he's taking his new moment in the spotlight in stride. He told the press in advance of the premiere, “I’m just trying to stay in today."
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