Brendan Fraser, an actor, was at the height of his fame in Hollywood when his career came to an abrupt end.
Fraser was practically boycotted by the industry he had worked in for so long after speaking out about the sexual harassment he had experienced.
His “The Mummy” franchise, among other things, made him a favorite in Hollywood. But because of his statements against sexual harassment, the actor lost favor in Hollywood.
Fraser spoke out about the event that altered the course of his career in 2018. He said that Philip Berk, who was the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the time, had touched him indecently.
“His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around. I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry,” he said.
Afterwards, Berk admitted that he had done this “in jest.” Although Berk apologized through HFPA, he did not acknowledge to any misconduct and just expressed regret if he had made Fraser uncomfortable.
Fraser then questioned whether talking about the incident in an interview with GQ was the reason his career stalled.
“I don’t know if this curried disfavor with the group, with the HFPA. But the silence was deafening,” he said. He said he was rarely invited back to award shows after 2003. Berk however maintained that the decline of Fraser’s career had nothing to do with HFPA.
However, even if there was no actual blacklisting of Fraser, he does maintain how it hurt his sense of self and as a result his work. He says, he felt detached from “who I was and what I was doing.” Adding that, “withered on the vine for me. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me.”
However, in recent years, the actor seems to be making a comeback and reclaiming his career. And now, he might gain the redemption he so very rightly deserved!
Fraser is the leading man in Darren Aronofksy’s much-anticipated drama, “The Whale.” Fraser plays the role of a 600-pound gay man, who is confined to a wheelchair.
The movie finally premiered at the Venice Film Festival and received a full 6-minute standing ovation from the audience which itself included some heavyweights. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Nick Kroll, and Hillary Clinton’s staffer Huma Abedin were among the big-names present in the audience.
As the entire hall stood to applaud the movie for six entire minutes, Fraser, director Aronofsky, and other cast and crew stood in, absorbing the admiration of the crowd.
Fraser was filled with emotion and sobbed openly as the audience cheered. During the clapping, Fraser hugged his director for a long time. At one point, he was overcome with emotion and motioned to leave the auditorium but decided to stay due of the absolutely thunderous acclaim.
Throughout the standing ovation, Fraser again hugged Aronofsky. At one point, he attempted to leave the auditorium, but the thunderous applause kept him there longer. He even took a bow.
The movie shows Fraser’s character trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter played by “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink. Supporting actors in the movie include Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins. The movie is based on a play by Samuel D. Hunter and was adapted for the screen by the playwright himself.
Fraser described the difficulty of playing the part. Depending on the scene, he had to wear a prosthetic garment that weighed 50 to 300 pounds. The actor would sit in a makeup chair for six hours each day while filming scenes to prepare for his metamorphosis. “The torso piece was almost like a strait jacket with sleeves that went on, airbrushed by hand, to look identical as would human skin, right down to the hand-punched hair,” he said.
He said retiring the makeup and prosthetic suit was a relief for him. The actor told the press, “I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the appliances were removed; it was like stepping off the dock onto a boat in Venice. That [sense of] undulating. It gave me appreciation for those whose bodies are similar. You need to be an incredibly strong person, mentally and physically, to inhabit that physical being.”
According to rumors, Fraser may compete for Best Actor at the Academy Awards because of the part.
The actor is deserving of receiving attention once more. He is an incredibly talented performer, and we are glad to have him back on TV so that viewers can recognize his talent.
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