Brendan Fraser, known for hits like The Mummy trilogy, School Ties, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, hasn’t had the ubiquitous big screen presence in the past few years that he’s had in the past – but a moment with his beloved horse gave him the realization it was time to come back to movies, and the Brenaissance was born. Now, after A24 dropped its first look at Frasier’s new movie The Whale, fans already think The Academy should already just give this American-Canadian actor his Oscar trophy.
With the lead role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, Brendan Fraser is playing a 600-pound man who’s trying to reconnect with his daughter after abandoning his family for his lover years ago. The first shot of Fraser in full makeup and costume was shared on A24’s Instagram, and fans have been on social media saying that based on what A24 has revealed so far about the upcoming movie, the Inkheart actor should already be earning Oscar buzz. In a Tweet below, one fan posted a meme of Robert De Niro from The Irishman saying “Let’s go, girls” while promoting the idea of starting an awards campaign immediately, writing:
brendan fraser’s oscar campaign starts now
In another post on Twitter, a fan retweeted a shot of Brendan Fraser in The Whale. with a caption suggesting that the actor better start practicing multiple speeches, as he may be picking up a lot of trophies while on the road to his first Academy Award:
Brendan Fraser can start preparing a lot of variations of his speech because if it’s any good I think he’s sweeping all the way to the Oscars.
Featuring a bit of an alternative energy, another Twitter response to The Whale‘s first look is an all-caps blast of excitement that Brendan Fraser is undergoing a major transformation:
EVERYONE STOP WHAT THE FUCK THEYRE DOING!!!!! OUR FIRST PHOTO OF FUTURE OSCAR WINNER BRENDAN FRASER IN THE WHALE BABYYYYYYY!!!!!!?
If Brendan Fraser were to win an Oscar just as his Brenaissance train is getting going, that would be such a big deal to the star and his career. Having lost his mother to cancer and suffering from depression, he’s been through a lot of hardship, making his break from Hollywood understandable. (Not to mention the overwhelming emotions that came from his financial struggles after his divorce and allegedly being groped by a member of the HFPA.) It’s exciting that Fraser is in a better place now mentally and ready to show audiences he’s still got it.
If the 53-year-old actor can get award recognition just as he’s making his way towards a comeback, it’ll show that Hollywood and fans alike are welcoming him back with open arms. Other than The Whale, Fraser’s list of upcoming credits includes Brothers (from the director of Palm Springs) Behind the Curtain of the Night, and Martin Scorsese’s latest film Killers of the Flower Moon. Until these movies hit the big screen, you can presently watch his excellent work as Cliffe Steele a.k.a. Robotman in the DC Universe series Doom Patrol – which is available with your HBO Max subscription.