Brendan Fraser was once again moved to tears by the response to his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s new movie, The Whale.
The actor previously went viral after his emotional response to the film’s six-minute standing ovation at Venice Film Festival was caught on camera.
The once-forgotten star plays a 600-pound gay man confined to a wheelchair in the drama alongside Stranger Things actor Sadie Sink.
Following a Tuesday (11 October) screening at London Film Festival, media people in attendance raved about Fraser’s turn in the film, which officially releases in December.
Hours later, videos emerged on social media of Fraser, who was in attendance at the screening alongside director Aronofsky, bowing on stage to a rapturous standing ovation from the audience.
Just as in Venice, Fraser appeared emotional and overwhelmed by the crowd’s adulation.
“Am I at Venice? 5 min standing ovation for Brendan Fraser’s masterpiece performance in #TheWhale. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire movie. My heart is in my throat,” one audience member wrote alongside a video of the actor onstage.
At the time, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tweeted his support of the actor, writing: “Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan. He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky.”
The Whale marks a remarkable comeback for Fraser who appeared to have dropped off the map somewhere in the Noughties after a string of unsuccessful films.
You can read a timeline of Fraser’s career here.
Read Geoffrey Macnab’s four-star review of the film for The Independent here.
The Whale will be released in the US on 9 December. A UK release date is yet to be announced.
