The icing on the cake of Brendan Fraser’s return has been applied: The whale The star was named Best Actor at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday.
Fraser prevailed over the other Austin Butler nominees (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Paul Mescal (After Sun) and Bill Nighy (Life). (See the full list of Oscar winners here.)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The whale – which received mixed reviews upon its release last September – finds Fraser playing a morbid and reclusive English teacher who tries to mend his relationship with his estranged teenage daughter (played by stranger things‘Sadie Sink). The ensemble also includes Ty Simpkins, fellow Oscar nominee Hong Chau, Samantha Morton and Sathya Sridharan.
Watch Fraser’s acceptance speech below…