Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser attends "The Whale" & "Filming Italy Best Movie Achievement Award" red carpet at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 4 in ...

[According to Variety, ](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brendan-fraser-the-whale-weight-prosthetics-venice-1235359484/) "The Mummy" star is being touted as a serious Oscars contender with his portrayal in the drama. [his performance in "The Whale," ](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/27/entertainment/brendan-fraser-the-whale/index.html)

Here at The A.V. Club, we know that there's nothing that our readers care about more than how many minutes people clap for after a movie premieres at a ...

[groped by former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk](https://www.avclub.com/brendan-fraser-says-he-was-groped-by-ex-hfpa-president-1823237740), and believes that the fallout from that interaction left him all but blacklisted for over a decade. I wanted to know what I was capable of.” That’s the start of an Oscar campaign if we’ve ever heard one. On Sunday night, Darren Aronofsky’s new film The Whale premiered in Venice, where it received a six-minute standing ovation. Now, there is new clapping to talk about and it may even move you (not clickbait!). The actor told Club, we know that there’s nothing that our readers care about more than how many minutes people clap for after a movie premieres at a European film festival.

Prosthetic or no, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the lead role of Darren Aronofsky's new film, which premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival.

Well, yes, but in the old, original meaning of the word: He evokes sympathy and sadness, not ridicule or contempt. He could and should go to the hospital, but he refuses, citing a lack of health insurance. The food isn’t so much food as it is a metaphor for all the hurt and pain he’s absorbed. Once everything finally collides in The Whale, something shattering and beautiful and honest emerges. But here’s the thing: The film is built around the idea of revulsion, and extreme consumption. When he talks to people, his eyes are wide and inquisitive, and there’s a half-smile on his face. The whole thing is a metaphor, and as such it’s pitched a few degrees off from reality. The buzz around the movie grew and grew that night and the following day, so that by the time I saw The Whale at its actual premiere in the Sala Grande, the place seemed ready to explode. [Samuel Hunter’s play](https://www.vulture.com/2012/11/theater-review-the-whale.html), it’s the story of Charlie, a 600 lb. He always seemed like a sweet guy who was just happy to be there, but he never seemed like a joke. And explode it did, as soon as the end credits started rolling. They all seemed surprised to have found themselves so devastated by the movie, and in particular by Brendan Fraser’s performance.

Brendan Fraser got emotional and cried as audiences at the Venice Film Festival gave a six-minute standing ovation after the premiere of 'The Whale.'

[posted on social media](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ljsBMfF104M) shows a teary Fraser reluctantly getting up as the audience, on its feet, claps and cheers for his performance. The film is based on Samuel D. Berk apologized but admitted no wrongdoing. Fraser rose to prominence in the 1990s as an action and comedy heartthrob in lighthearted films like 1992’s “Encino Man,” 1997’s “George of the Jungle” and 1999’s “The Mummy.” [drama](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-07-27/brendan-fraser-the-whale-transformation-a24-darren-aronofsky) from A24, in which Fraser donned prosthetics and makeup to play a 600-pound recluse who uses a wheelchair. The actor Brendan Fraser got emotional as audiences at the Venice Film Festival gave a six-minute standing ovation on Sunday after seeing the world premiere of his upcoming film “The Whale,” according to

Brendan Fraser returns to the big screen in The Whale, a new Darren Aronofsky film about a reclusive English teacher as he struggles with his health and ...

"I think it's definitely going to be a point of contention in the discourse. But after a sustained run as one of Hollywood's leading men, Fraser receded to the sidelines of TV and film in recent years. In it, Fraser discussed years of suffering from injuries (sustained from performing stunts during filming of The Mummy franchise), subsequent surgeries, personal loss and a divorce. A combination of prosthetics and CGI help Fraser as he portrays this character. This comes years after Fraser was at the height of his career. Actors and longtime fans alike took to social media to share their own happiness at the recognition Fraser received with this latest role.

If Matthew McConaughey had the McConaissance, then Brendan Fraser must be enjoying The Next Frase. The former George of the Jungle actor has emerged from ...

[BBC film critic Nicholas Barber](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220904-the-whale-review-brendan-fraser-deserves-an-oscar) has already claimed that Fraser “richly deserves to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar”, noting that it is “hard to imagine anyone being as captivating in the role”. The Whale is set to premiere in US theatres on December 9, however, no official release date has been named for Australia. I think it’s poetic that the trauma he carries is manifest in the physical weight of his body. The actor’s performance as a 600-pound man attempting to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption is garnering critical acclaim, with Deadline‘s Damon Wise noting that Fraser’s For months, fans have been eagerly awaiting the premiere of the psychological drama, which promised to show Fraser as he’d never been seen before, but more importantly, put him back on the map. For six uninterrupted minutes, the Sala Grande was filled with the sound of applause and admiration, a response that visibly moved the actor to tears.

The Rock posted a sweet tribute to his friend Brendan Fraser following his role in Darren Aronofsky's new film "The Whale."

Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky,” the former WWE star went on. [mainly stayed out of the spotlight](https://nypost.com/2021/10/25/brendan-fraser-books-batgirl-blockbuster-on-comeback-trail/) in recent years — is making his Hollywood comeback in “The Whale.” [ “The Whale.”](https://nypost.com/2022/07/26/brendan-fraser-unrecognizable-as-600-pound-man-in-the-whale/)

In 2018, Fraser also alleged that he was sexually assaulted by Phillip Berk of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Between the fallout from the allegations ...

That's when Fraser came along and committed to the film. His new film, [The Whale](https://screencrush.com/tags/the-whale/), earned him a standing ovation at its festival premiere. [Brendan Fraser](https://screencrush.com/tags/brendan%20fraser/) has returned to the world of acting in a big way, and he’s already receiving rave reviews.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson gave kudos to Brendan Fraser after Fraser's upcoming film The Whale received a 6-minute standing ovation following its premiere.

[Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/the-whale-first-look-brendan-fraser-darren-aronofsky-1235325042/amp/). Fraser was expected to [play the villain](https://people.com/movies/brendan-fraser-lands-second-dc-role-supervillain-batgirl-movie/) in the HBO Max [Batgirl](https://people.com/movies/batgirl-directors-shocked-by-studio-canceling-movie/) movie before it was reported in August that [the film was shelved indefinitely](https://people.com/movies/batgirl-shelved-at-warner-bros-nearly-complete-90-million-film-wont-be-released/). [Darren Aronofsky](https://people.com/tag/darren-aronofsky/), the director, "several times during the ovation" and was met with louder applause as he attempted to leave the theater, reported [Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/brendan-fraser-cries-the-whale-venice-standing-ovation-1235337836/). [wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1566576268451008512). [#TheWhale](https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheWhale?src=hashtag_click) 👏🏾." The movie takes place entirely within his character's home over the course of five days, according to the outlet. I even felt a sense of vertigo, when at the end of the day all the appliances were removed, just as you would feel stepping off the boat onto the dock here in Venice — that undulating feeling." [For more on the 2022 Venice Film Festival, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/people-every-day/id1544169500) And I think that is Charlie, also," Fraser added. "I needed to learn to absolutely move in a new way. [The Whale](https://people.com/tag/darren-aronofsky/https://people.com/movies/brendan-fraser-first-photo-the-whale-movie/) at the [Venice International Film Festival](https://people.com/tag/venice-film-festival/), he and the movie received a 6-minute standing ovation from the audience. [Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson](https://people.com/tag/dwayne-johnson/) is showing some love for [Brendan Fraser](https://people.com/tag/brendan-fraser/).

"I see I'm going to be stuck between how much I root for Brendan Fraser and how much I hate fat suits," wrote Linda Holmes on Twitter.

"I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the appliances were removed; it was like stepping off the dock onto a boat in Venice. It's not lost on me that the praise for his performance is in making a fat person seem human." "I developed muscles I did not know I had," he said. "I love Brendan Fraser. "Mr. Many have praised The Mummy star for his performance, which has already been projected to push him to the top of this year's best actor race at the

Dwayne Johnson Applauds Brendan Fraser's Comeback: He 'Kicked Off My Hollywood Career'. "Rooting for all your success, brother," Johnson tweeted to "The Whale" ...

Canadian-American actor Fraser will receive a TIFF tribute award for his “power and nuance” in “The Whale” performance, according to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky. Johnson starred as the Scorpion King in 2001’s “The Mummy Returns” before landing his own eponymous character spinoff film in 2002. “This former Torontonian has been an action star, a screen comic, and a romantic lead,” Bailey said of Fraser. “He supported me coming into his ‘Mummy Returns’ franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success, brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky.

The actor was visibly emotional as he was showered in praise for his performance in 'The Whale.'

"My journey to where I am now has been to explore as many characters as I can and this presented the biggest challenge to me that I wanted," Fraser said during a press conference. His Mummy Returns co-star, Dwayne Johnson, shared his well wishes for Fraser in response to footage of the standing ovation. "The standing ovation for #TheWhale was so enthusiastic, Brendan Fraser tried to leave the theater but the crowd’s applause made him stay. [See Brendan Fraser Transform Into a 600-Lb. In videos shared on social media, the 53-year-old performer was seen seated applauding his castmates before Aronofsky encouraged him to stand and accept the audience's praise. Judging by the actor's reception at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, Fraser's stardom has rocketed back to its '90s and early aughts levels.