The tragic life of the actor who gained 272 kg and just won Oscar 2023

The 2023 Oscar gold medal for the “Best Actor” category proves Brendan Fraser’s acting talent and also saves his seemingly dead career.

Brendan Fraser’s shocking appearance in The Whale.

The 95th Academy Awards ended with results that were not too surprising but completely worthy. Among them, some victories could be predicted long ago because they received support from many audiences and experts. A typical case is Brendan Fraser with the golden statue of Best Actor .

This year, the Egyptian Mummy actor made a spectacular return with a heavy role in the psychological film The Whale directed by Darren Aronofsky – who made Black Swan (2010), mother! (2017). Not only did Brendan Fraser surprise viewers with his shocking appearance, he also completely conquered critics with his honest, emotional acting.

Gay role “transforms”

In The Whale, Brendan Fraser plays Charlie – an English professor, suffering from obesity, facing serious health deterioration when his weight reached 272 kg. Because he was embarrassed about his appearance, he decided to live in seclusion, interacting with students every day through online classes but not turning on his webcam.

The movie is heavy and doesn’t have much going on. Throughout the 117-minute duration, Charlie’s fate and personality are only revealed through Brendan Fraser’s dialogue and expressions. The character is a gay man who used to have a wife and children but abandoned his family to follow the call of love. When her boyfriend passed away, Charlie mentally collapsed and gradually sank into misery. Befriending him every day is nurse Liz (Hong Chau) and all kinds of fast food as medicine for the soul. Even his biological daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) wished him to die soon and be healthy.

Brendan Fraser’s transformation made a strong impression on viewers and received a “rain” of praise from critics. The role brought the actor the most acting nominations in his career. Before Oscar, he won important awards such as: Critics Choice Awards (USA – Canada Broadcast Film Critics Association award), Hollywood Film Awards, and especially SAG (American Screen Actors Guild award).

On NBC Los Angeles , Aronofsky once shared that he had been planning to make a movie for a decade but had difficulty finding a main actor. For directors, there is almost no one strong enough to play a “heavy” role like Charlie. It wasn’t until he saw Brendan Fraser appear in the trailer for the movie Journey to the End of the Night (2006) that Aronofsky decided to put his trust in the actor.

The role of a gay professor helped Fraser be named at the 2023 Oscar in the Best Actor category .

However, from the fateful moment to the film’s release, it took nearly 16 years. During that time, Brendan Fraser’s name gradually sank into oblivion. Therefore, the role of Charlie in The Whale is considered the “transformation” of a lifetime, helping to save the long-frozen career of the star born in 1968.

Journey back to glory

Brendan Fraser is not a strange face to Vietnamese audiences. During the 1990s, the actor participated in many films and suddenly became a star through his role in The Mummy ( Egyptian Mummy ). Released in 1999, the work grossed more than 410 million USD, many times higher than the budget of 80 million USD, paving the way for many popular sequels (sequels) to be released later.

In 2002, the star also attracted attention when he came to Vietnam to film The Quiet American – a drama project directed by veteran director Phillip Noyce. The work was filmed in many locations such as Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An. Brendan Fraser also had the opportunity to leave a beautiful mark in the hearts of Vietnamese fans.

Brendan Fraser’s romantic beauty in The Mummy .

With a handsome face and attractive appearance, Brendan Fraser quickly received a lot of love from the audience, having “captivated” many young girls. However, since appearing with Harrison Ford in Extraordinary Measures (2010), Brendan Fraser’s career has completely declined. He almost only participated in voicing a number of television projects, playing supporting roles that no one remembered.

In 2018, the actor suddenly reappeared with a shocking statement, revealing that the reason his career was affected was due to psychological trauma. He was sexually abused by Philip Berk – the current president of the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) – but did not dare share it with anyone. After that, the death of his mother and the divorce with his wife further caused the actor to fall into depression, seriously affecting both his health and his film work.

Brendan Fraser was emotional when he went up to the Oscars stage to receive his award.

Although Brendan Fraser’s story has more or less an impact on fans, it cannot conquer the audience with his acting skills in The Whale . In the 2023 Oscar race, he is considered a bright candidate with a high chance of winning, although his opponent Austin Butler is also very strong. The fact that Fraser was called not only proved his talent, but also brought him back to a star position, respected by everyone.

On the awards stage, Brendan Fraser couldn’t help but be moved by the Oscar statuette. Unlike his colleagues Michelle Yeoh or Quan Ke Huy, the actor did not send big messages, simply taking an important moment to thank the audience, his co-stars and relatives. It can be said that his story of fate and convincing victory is enough to inspire anyone. Because few people dare to persevere in pursuing their career, putting aside the past to find glory the way Brendan Fraser did.