Brendan Fraser Cries During ‘The Whale’ Standing Ovation, but Some Find the Film Offensive

Brendan Fraser’s comeback has been a delight to watch. Fraser was one of Hollywood’s brightest stars, and his absence was notable. Now, the actor is appearing more frequently in high-profile projects, and his upcoming role in The Whale may be his best yet. Brendan Fraser recently received a standing ovation for The Whale, and his reaction is quite heartwarming. However, not everyone is thrilled about Fraser’s latest role. 

What happened to Brendan Fraser?

Brendan Fraser was a rising star of the late 1990s and early 2000s. His roles in movies like George of the Jungle, The Mummy, and Gods and Monsters, made him an A-list star. However, Fraser notably disappeared from the spotlight in the 2010s. According to GQ, Frasher had been dealing with several personal challenges, including injuries he suffered from performing stuntwork for The Mummy, surgeries, a divorce, and other personal losses. 

Fraser also opened up about being sexually harassed by former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Philip Berk. Berk allegedly groped him from behind in an explicit manner. Fraser says it traumatized him and made him “retreat” and feel “reclusive.”

“I became depressed,” Fraser said. “I was blaming myself, and I was miserable—because I was saying, ‘This is nothing; this guy reached around, and he copped a feel.’ That summer wore on—and I can’t remember what I went on to work on next.”

Brendan Fraser received a standing ovation for ‘The Whale’

Fraser has been having a comeback recently. His recent roles include Doom Patrol, No Sudden Move, and the upcoming Martin Scorsese movie, Killers of the Flower Moon. He also was set to star in DC’s Batgirl alongside Leslie Grace and Michael Keaton before it got canceled. 

One role that is getting a lot of buzz is The Whale. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Whale stars Brendan Fraser as a 600-pound reclusive man trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink). The movie recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and Fraser received a six-minute standing ovation, leading to a very emotional reaction from the actor. 

While award season is still a while away, Fraser is starting to receive award talks for his performance and is beginning to become a frontrunner for The Whale. 

Not everyone is thrilled about Fraser’s latest role

While many support Fraser’s comeback, not everyone is thrilled about his latest role. His role in The Whale was created through a combination of practical and digital effects. Actors using fat suits is nothing new, but many find the practice to be “fat-phobic” and a continuation of negative perceptions of overweight people. 

Aubrey Gordon, an author and co-host of the Maintenance Phase, a podcast debunking health trends, took to Twitter to criticize Fraser’s upcoming role. 

“It’s so telling that so many only see fat people as ‘humanized’ in media that shows us doing exactly what they expect: living short, small lives; ‘eating ourselves to death’; feeling sad & regretful,” Gordon wrote. “All reminders of how tragic it is to be fat and how superior it is to be thin.”

The Whale arrives in theaters on Dec. 9, 2022.