Brendan Fraser used his acceptance speech at last night’s Critics Choice Awards to encourage anyone struggling to find “the light in a dark place.”
Brendan Fraser’s acceptance speech after winning Best Actor 😭🖤 #CriticsChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/iQgFe4FnjS
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“If you, like a guy like Charlie, who I played in this movie, in any way, struggle with obesity, or you just feel like you’re in a dark sea, I want you to know that if you too, can have the strength to just get to your feet and go to the light, good things will happen,” Fraser said.
Fraser thanked The Whale‘s director Darren Aronofsky for giving him a chance to make a comeback after taking time away during a dark season in his life.
“I was in the wilderness and I probably should have left a trail of breadcrumbs, but you found me, and like all the best directors, you merely just showed me where to go to get me where I needed to be,” Fraser said.
Fraser was a movie mainstay throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, yet over the last decade he’s largely stayed out of the Hollywood spotlight. But during the current awards season, he’s received high praise for his role in The Whale as Charlie, a 600-lb. man who tries to build a relationship with his estranged daughter Ellie (Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink).
The 54-year-old actor beat out Austin Butler (Elvis), Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Paul Mescal (Aftersun) and Bill Nighy (Living) for the Best Actor award.
