Brendan Fraser received another long standing ovation for his film The Whale. which screened at the London Film Festival on Tuesday.
The actor broke down in tears during the film’s five-minute standing ovation, which marks his return to Hollywood after years of struggling with depression following a sexual assault complaint and multiple health issues.
In a video shared by a guest, an emotional Brendan, 53, is seen bowing to enthusiastic applause from the audience before embracing director Darren Aronofsky and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter who joined him on stage.
Tears: Brendan Fraser received another long standing ovation for his film The Whale. which was screened at the London Film Festival on Tuesday
“Am I in Venice? 5 minute standing ovation for Brendan Fraser’s masterful performance in #TheWhale. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand for the entire movie. My heart is in my throat,’ an audience member wrote alongside the video.
Brendan was proudly supported by his glamorous partner Jeanne Moore as he graced the red carpet for the UK premiere on day seven of the BFI London Film Festival.
The Whale, which hits cinemas in December, premiered at the Venice Film Festival last month and is quickly winning rave reviews.
In footage shared on social media after the film was screened in Venice, Brendan held back tears as he received a long standing ovation.
Moment: An emotional Brendan, 53, is seen bowing to enthusiastic applause from the audience before kissing director Darren Aronofsky and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter
Fans and friends on Twitter loved Fraser’s emotional reaction, with actor Dwayne Johnson penning a sweet message of support.
“Man, it makes me so happy to see this great ovation for Brendan. He supported me in his Mummy Returns franchise for my very first role, which launched my career in Hollywood.
“Rooting for all your success brother and congratulations to my mate Darren Aronofsky.”
The Whale is a psychological drama that saw Brendan undergo a physical transformation, as he played a 600-pound gay man confined to a wheelchair, a role for which he also had to wear prosthetics.
Throwback: The actor broke down in tears during the five-minute standing ovation for the film, which marks his return to Hollywood after years of struggling with depression
Acclaimed performance: The Whale, which hits theaters in December, received its first premiere at the Venice Film Festival last month and is quickly earning rave reviews
Its official synopsis reads, “A reclusive, severely obese English teacher tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.”
The film is set to hit theaters on December 9 and marks Brendan’s first starring role in a film since the direct-to-DVD thriller Breakout in 2013, leading many fans to believe this is his return.
Fraser rose to fame when he was cast in favorite kid-friendly movie franchises George of the Jungle and The Mummy.
His incredibly chiseled physique earned him a Hollywood heartthrob position as he thrashed around sets performing stunts in high-action roles.
But Fraser revealed in a later interview the impact the stunts had on his body.
Well received: The Whale is a psychological drama that saw Brendan undergo a physical transformation, as well as wearing prosthetics to play a man ‘living with obesity’
He told GQ in 2018 that when he filmed the third installment of The Mummy franchise, he was taped and frosted the wounds between takes.
Speaking from his home in Bedford, New York, he said the physical toll of his roles made him feel like a workaholic from the Orwell novel Animal Farm.
After rising to fame through action-packed films, Fraser described his buff physique as resembling “a walking steak”.
In the same interview, the actor revealed he believed he was blacklisted in Hollywood after claiming he was sexually assaulted by former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk in 2003.
Picture perfect: Brendan was proudly supported by his glamorous partner Jeanne Moore at the UK premiere of The Whale at the BFI London Film Festival on Tuesday
Fraser claimed he was leaving a luncheon hosted by the HFPA at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Hollywood when Berk shook his hand.
Fraser said: “His left hand reaches out, grabs my cheek** and one of his fingers touches me in the filth. And he starts to move it.
He added: “I felt bad. I felt like a little child. I felt like I had a lump in my throat. I thought I was going to cry.
Fraser claimed he was able to remove Berk’s hand before running out of the hotel and heading straight home. He told the incident to his then-wife, Afton Smith, but never made it public.
Instead, his representatives asked Berk for a written apology, which he provided, but did not admit to any wrongdoing.
Speaking to GQ about the claims, Berk acknowledged he had written a letter of apology to Fraser, but insisted he had done nothing wrong and dismissed Fraser’s account as “a total fabrication”.
Here they are! Joining Brendan (center) for the premiere are The Whale director Darren Aronofsky (left) and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter (right).
Emotional: Brendan was already moved as he received a long standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival for his latest film, which is already earning him Oscar buzz
Support: Fans and friends on Twitter loved Fraser’s reaction, with actor Dwayne Johnson writing a sweet message of support
After Fraser reported the claim to the HFPA, he said he thought he may have been “blacklisted” and was rarely invited back to the Golden Globe Awards.
Fraser said the incident caused him to “beat back” as he sank into depression. He described feeling “not worthy” over the decade, which led him to take on roles he was less proud of.
Meanwhile, her marriage was also falling apart. He divorced Afton Smith in 2007 after nine years of marriage and three sons together, Griffin, Leland and Holden. As part of the settlement, he was ordered to pay $50,000 a month in spousal support.
However, in 2013 he demanded a change to the deal asking to pay less, saying he was not earning the same huge paychecks he received in the 1990s during his heyday and that he could not. not afford the payments.
Brendan said in an interview at the Toronto Film Festival last month that his confidence was on the rise amid the rave reviews he received for his work in The Whale.
“So often, I just felt like a working actor who was happy to have a job: ‘What have you got? I will,” he said, according to the Toronto Star. “And he’s a different guy than I am right now.”
He added: ‘The last few years when I was a bit more reluctant to move on – having a life with children and an eldest son with special needs, another child who is going to be a senior now and another who is [learning] drive and he picks up guitar – I think it gave me a purpose that I don’t know I would have enjoyed as a younger man.
Director Aronofsky said of Fraser’s presence in the film, “He’s the right actor, for the right role, at the right time.”