Brendan Fraser couldn’t contain his emotions after winning Best Actor at the Critics Choice Awards for his performance in “The Whale.” The 54-year-old actor, more than three decades after his theatrical breakthrough in “School Ties” and “Encino Man,” scored his first big win of this awards season for his powerful role as an obese teacher from Idaho. .
“If you, as a guy like Charlie, who I played in this movie, struggle with obesity in any way,” he said, crying, “or just feel like you’re in a dark sea, I want you to know that if you too can have the strength to just stand up and go to the light, good things will happen.
Big comeback stories were in the air Sunday night. In fact, Fraser hugged winning supporting actor Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”) on his way to the stage. There’s an interesting history between the two: Quan, a popular child actor in the 1980s, was one of Fraser’s first co-stars in the 1992 comedy “Encino Man.”
Accepting his award, Fraser broke down in tears while referencing his character from “The Whale,” as can be seen in the video below.
Fraser also called out his collaborators on “The Whale,” including director Darren Aronofsky and co-stars Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins and Sadie Sink.
The actor was up against some serious competition on the Best Actor list, including Golden Globe winners Austin Butler for “Elvis” and Colin Farrell for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” as well as Bill Nighy for “Living,” Paul Mescal. for “Aftersun”. and Tom Cruise for “Top Gun: Maverick.”
And after his win, Fraser gathered once again for a big hug with his friend and fellow winner Quan, as shown in this video.
Fraser has also been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, another precursor to the Oscar nominations, which will be announced on January 24.
