At the 95th Academy Awards, good news fell upon two Encino Man alumni. First, Ke Huy Quan won for his comeback role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Some hours later, a trophy went to that film’s star: Brendan Fraser won for The Whale, therefore kicking the Fraseraissance into new heights.
Brendan Fraser accepts the #Oscar for Best Actor for #TheWhale. https://t.co/ndiKiHfmID pic.twitter.com/kNuDy85dpH
— Variety (@Variety) March 13, 2023
Fraser has won numerous awards this awards season, and each speech has been emotional. He’s been frank about the peaks and valleys of his career, which is now in the process of being righted. This speech was only slightly more tearful.
“My goodness,” Fraser said as he took the stage, already a blubbery mess. Along with thanking people like director Darren Aronofsky and A24 for greenlighting it. He also thanked his fellow nominees: Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Bill Nighy, and Paul Mescal.
“Gentlemen, you laid your whale-sized hearts bare so we could see into your souls like no one else could do,” he said. He also praised his fellow Whale Oscar-nominee Hong Chau, whose so talented, he said, that “only whales can swim at the depth of [her] talent.”
Fraser also reflected on his life. “When I started in this business 30 years ago, it didn’t go easily for me,” he said. “There was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time — until it stopped.” That surely makes him appreciate winning an Oscar even more.
You can watch Fraser’s speech in the tweet above.
