Brendan Fraser left a difficult stage and seeks his first Oscar

Within the long list of actors and actresses nominated for the first time for the awards oscar they include, among others, Jamie Lee Curtis, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Michelle Yeoh and Bill Nighy. And among them also stands out the figure of brendan fraserwhose story, marked by the structure of the rise and fall of a Hollywood figure, stands out a bit from that group of “first-timers”.

Unexpected events of life that have occurred in recent years have fueled spaces in some tabloids, which, with more morbidity than information, gave free rein to comments regarding the weight gain from Brendan Fraser, to his depression already his exit the scene hollywood. All these events, in turn, attributed to his bad decisions. The truth is that, in the words of the actor, the Me Too movement, which in 2018 led many women, dissidents and victims of different forms of gender violence and power to raise their voices and speak out about the injustices they had to live , empowered Fraser to go public with abuse he had suffered in 2003 by journalist Philip Berk. This abuse was the kickoff for his gradual distancing from large productions, which led to a total distancing from the industry for almost five years, between 2014 and 2019.

“I was in the desert and what you did was tell me which way to go,” he told the director.

The reason for impasse. Added to that episode, there was a physical issue, linked to his way of working in the action movies that saw him shine: Fraser did not use stunt doubles, which led him to overload his body and undergo various operations that also made it difficult for him. the race. Little by little, the figure of highly grossing films such as George of the Jungle or the franchise The Mummyhe re-embraced his profession with some supporting roles and appearances, but it is his leading role in The Whaleby Darren Aronovsky, the film that earned him, for the first time in his career, legitimization from different circles of film criticism, including the Broadcast Film Critics Association, which at the recent Critics Choice Awards gave Brendan Fraser the award for Best Actor.

Going up to receive the award, Fraser gave a speech that ended up going viral due to its emotional imprint, where he made reference to the hard years he lived through. Addressing the director of the film, she said, through tears: “I was in the desert. And I probably should have left a trail of crumbs. But you found me and like the best directors, what you did was tell me where to go so that I could get to where I needed to be.”. After a pause, the actor took the opportunity to point out the universality of what his character lives, with which the actor hinted at a deep identification: “If you ever had problems like Charlie’s, the character I play in this movie, obesity, or you went through dark moments, I want you to know that if you have the strength, you too can get up and go towards the light. And good things are going to happen ”, he concluded, between cheers.

This 2023, the five nominees for Best Actor are “first timers” at the Oscars.

Rematch. The nomination for Best Actor for the Oscars, which will be delivered on March 12, comes to Fraser at 54 years of age, in the middle of a reinvention stage after all the emotional situations mentioned, and with the symbolic charge that this recognition has in Hollywood. . the actor seems to be among the favorites to take the stage.

However, the competition is not easy this 2023. The interpretation of Elvis built by the Australian Austin Butler has already been recognized with the Golden Globe; Paul Mescal is on everyone’s lips for the moving portrait of the young father he had to embody in aftersunand Colin Farrell and Bill Nighy are also clamoring for the Academy’s attention for their performances in The Banshees of Inisherin (renamed in Argentina as Friendship is not forever) and Living roomrespectively.

As an additional detail, in this edition of the Oscars, the Best Actor category is made up exclusively of five actors who are nominated for the Oscars for the first time. This situation adds another emotion to it.