After 12 years away from the cinema, Brendan Fraser is nominated for an Oscar

That’s what it’s like to turn around! After spending 12 years without starring in a movie in Hollywood, Brendan Fraser, who starred in hits like The Mummy (1999) and demonic (2000), returned to the spotlight through the film The Whale (2022), directed by Darren Aronofsky. But it was not just that. In addition to returning to acting on the big screen, the actor, of course, took off an Oscar 2023 nomination, in the category of Best Actor.

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This is the first time that the actor from George, King of the Forest (1997) is nominated for the biggest film ceremony in the world. In The Whalewhich premiered last September at the Venice Film Festival, Fraser plays an overweight English teacher who, upon realizing his health is failing, tries to reconnect with his daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink).

By delivering an emotional performance, the 54-year-old artist was widely praised by critics and by those who already had the opportunity to watch the film. Many pointed to Fraser’s performance as the best of 2022 and of the actor’s career. The Oscar nomination, therefore, only crowns the delivery of the interpreter, who also participates in the series. doom patrolfrom HBO Max.

In an interview with the BBC, Fraser said that in The Whale, he tried “to be a voice for those who live like Charlie and portray him with dignity and respect, in a way that we haven’t seen such a character shown on screen”. He continued: “We can forget that they [pessoas obesas] they are also human beings with thoughts and feelings, and hearts and families”.

Why was Brendan Fraser missing?

It all started in the early 2000s, when the actor needed to distance himself from the cinema to take care of his health. He had several injuries from his performances (which did not include stuntmen), having to operate on his spine, one of his knees and his vocal cords.

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After that, the actor also went through a long and troubled divorce, which led to a legal battle. But the controversies did not stop there, since, in 2018, Fraser accused Philip Berk, then president of the Golden Globes, of having groped him in the groin. The episode would have happened in 2003.

As a result, the actor said in several interviews that his phone stopped ringing and that he started to become more and more reclusive, disappearing from Hollywood and the big productions. Luckily, however, Fraser seems to have gotten over his issues and is back.