After much anticipation, actor Brendan Fraser won in the category of Best Actor at the Oscar 2023, for his performance in the feature film The Whale. The star, who is returning to film after a long hiatus, beat out colleagues like Austin Butler, who played the lead in Elvis.
Brendan Fraser was very successful in the 90s and 2000s, including in popular films in Brazil, such as The Mummy and George, King of the Forest. The actor ended up “falling into oblivion” in Hollywood and stayed about a decade away from big productions.
- Oscars 2023: Check out the full list of winners
The star ended up going through personal problems and also denounced a case of harassment involving a big name from the Golden Globes. These and other factors contributed to his disappearance from major productions, which made his return in A Baleia highly anticipated.
Brendan Fraser returns in The Whale
Brendan Fraser as Charlie in The Whale.
During the awards season, Brendan Fraser even took awards and emerged as a favorite in the category of Best Actor at the Oscars. At the SAG Awards, which serves as a thermometer for the big awards, the star ended up taking best actor category.
A Baleia is a film that follows a university writing professor who suffers from obesity. After leaving his family to live with love, the character Charlie seeks to connect with his daughter before he dies.
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The production is directed by Darren Aronofsky and is surrounded by controversy since even before its debut. The filmmaker is also responsible for films such as Mother (2017), Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream (2000).
Best Actor Award Nominees
Austin Butler played Elvis in theaters
In addition to Brendan Fraser, another highly quoted name in the best actor category was Austin Butler, who played the king of rock in Elvis. Despite not having big roles on his resume, the actor won over critics with his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s film.
The category also featured Paul Mescal, who starred in Aftersun, and Bill Nighy, from Living. Colin Farrell also earned a spot in the category for The Banshes of Inisherin. Interestingly, all of the nominees made their awards debut this year.
You can check out all the Oscar 2023 winners in this list.
