Through his performance as Charlie in The Whale, beloved actor Brendan Fraser has earned his first Oscar nomination and has given an emotional reaction to the news. The Whale was released on December 9, 2022, and features the return of Fraser to the big screen with an emotionally gripping portrayal of Charlie, a reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Sathya Sridharan, and Jacey Sink also appeared in the David Aronofsky-directed feature. The film collected three Oscar nominations from the Academy Awards ahead of March's ceremony.
In a statement through the PA news agency, shared by Yahoo!, Fraser has shared an emotional reaction to the news of his first-ever Oscar nomination. Fraser was one of five actors nominated in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role category. Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy, Paul Mescal, and Austin Butler were also nominated for the award. The Whale received three total nominations. In addition to Fraser's Best performance nom, Chau was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, and the Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling nominations include The Whale's Adrien Morot, Judy Shin, and Anne Marie Bradley. Check out Fraser's full reaction to his nomination below.
"I’m absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy for this recognition and for recognizing Hong Chau’s beautiful performance and Adrien Morot’s incredible make-up. I wouldn’t have this nomination without Darren Aronofsky, Samuel D Hunter, A24, and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of Charlie. A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life. Thank you.”
Will Brendan Fraser Win Best Actor For The Whale?
The Whale has been celebrated as Brendan Fraser's comeback performance due to it being the actor's first major movie role in roughly a decade. The hype surrounding the actor has been warranted, as Fraser makes the most of this opportunity to capture the humanity of his character. Fraser cautiously brings the character of Charlie to life with an oftentimes painful combination of warmth and guilt. The veteran actor's gravitas allows him to take on the role without treating the character as an exploitative spectacle, despite both the character's size and the amount of both practical and digital effects used in The Whale to portray him.
Undoubtedly, the immense level of support and praise for Fraser's return could play a role in his inclusion among the Best Actor nominations, though large Hollywood institutions played a role in his original absence. It was difficult to imagine these nominations being announced without his name on the list, though, due to just how powerful and poignant Fraser's film return was. He will have stiff competition for the award, however. Fellow A24 lead actor Paul Mescal made the list with his performance in Aftersun. Colin Farrell's performance in The Banshees of Inisherin is also expected to be a favorite for the highly-coveted award.
Though Fraser could end up bringing the trophy home, and it would be an amazing story if it were to happen, he is going up against performances that were also outstanding in their own right. The actor had a lot of momentum going in his favor ahead of the film's release, but the movie itself hasn't been as critically acclaimed as a film like The Banshees of Inisherin, which managed to secure a Best Motion Picture nomination, while The Whale came up just short. That could play a role in how the voting goes down, especially since there won't be any vote-splitting with multiple actors from one film getting multiple nominations. Regardless, The Whale has had a huge cultural impact, for both good and bad reasons, but welcoming Fraser back into the lives of film-watchers has been a serious highlight.
Source: Yahoo!