Oscar-winning actor Brendan Fraser shared the real reason behind filmmaker Darren Aronofsky casting him as Charlie in the 2022 psychological drama The Whale, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
During an informal conversation at the Red Sea Film Festival, Fraser explained, “He was looking for an actor who hadn’t been seen in a while. He told me. And that was me. He wanted to reintroduce that actor through a performance that would be transformative and have an element of this is the last person you might expect to do this role.”
Fraser expressed his appreciation for the “Brenaissance” memes that highlighted his remarkable career comeback. “Yes, look at me,” he exclaimed from the stage of Old Town Al-Balad in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The actor preferred to view his hiatus from Hollywood before The Whale as a mid-career break rather than a slump. “Taking a break is important in any line of work. In my career, it’s been a trajectory that’s been like a roller coaster loop. It’s up, it’s down, it’s sideways. It’s in the dark. It’s thrilling,” Fraser added.
He emphasized that he made the most of his downtime. “I used the time to have a retrospection to think from within, so I could do The Whale,” he revealed.
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This career break followed a rapid rise in Hollywood, which began with his starring role in Encino Man in 1992. “To be recognized and noticed that early definitely allowed me to have access to other projects,” Fraser said, noting that agents, directors, and producers began taking notice of his growing star power.
In 1997, Fraser’s success with George of the Jungle solidified his status as a Hollywood star. “It was exciting, then. I didn’t like the working out part, though. That hurt. I had to do that frequently,” Fraser added.
Reflecting on the unexpected appeal of George of the Jungle, Fraser said, “What you think you’re going to do, and what you create and what turns out are vastly different things. When that film came out, it had a broad international appeal and a lot of monkeys,” he recalled.
The success of The Whale included a memorable world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. “It was my first time to Venice, and I had not seen the film in its entirety, fully locked down. I knew that the message behind it was either going to resonate and get people to really reevaluate the thing we think we really know when we judge the people we love, or it could be infinitely forgettable. And the stakes are often one or the other,” Fraser shared.
The Red Sea Film Festival continues through December 14.
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