One film in particular stands out from the long list of promising works to be presented at the Venice Film Festival (31 August to 10 September). It is about the film drama “The Whale” by Darren Aronofsky (53). At least that’s what the plot suggests, telling a profound story about grief, remorse and the desire for forgiveness.
In the center of the film: the former Hollywood handsome Brendan Fraser (53) as the eponymous and almost 300 kilo heavy “whale”. He plays English teacher Charlie, who has become obese after the death of his partner and sees his last chance to reconcile with his estranged daughter slip by. But “The Whale” doesn’t just mark Fraser’s impressive comeback to the big screen. It could even take him to realms of fame he never saw as a taunt – until the Academy Awards?
It may seem difficult to imagine. But there was actually a time when not Dwayne Johnson (50), Ryan Reynolds (45) or more recently Tom Holland (26) had leased the leading roles in (comedic) action and adventure films for themselves. The turn of the millennium belonged to Fraser. He appeared on the Hollywood scene in 1992 as “Stone Age Junior” and thus as an unworldly, unfaithful naive. Over the years he cultivated this character and matured into a blockbuster hero.
Fraser peaked in fitness in 1997, thanks again to a Fish Out of Water comedy, the Tarzan spoof George Who Came Out of the Jungle. Tanned, with a flowing mane and an impressive six-pack, he enchanted alongside Leslie Mann (50).
His final commercial breakthrough came two years later thanks to the fantasy film “The Mummy”, which grew into a trilogy with two sequels in 2001 and 2008. For years to come, it seemed, all the dream factory would have to do was put Fraser’s number on its speed dial to provide action cinema with its leading man. But things turned out differently.
Fraser’s health suffered massively from his profession. Due to self-performed stunts, he had to undergo operations on his spine and knee, among other things. More than physically, however, he suffered psychologically from the consequences of his fame. In 2018 Fraser revealed in the course of the
What triggered this unauthorized touch in him? “I felt sick. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry.” But his allegations did not have any real consequences, at least not for the alleged perpetrator. Fraser, on the other hand, reinforced by his divorce from his wife Afton Smith and the death of his mother, fell into a deep depression.
Fraser never completely disappeared from the scene, but said scene became significantly smaller. He kept his head above water with various series and TV roles, from “Texas Rising” to the DC series “Doom Patrol”.
Which brings us to the present and Aronofsky’s “The Whale”. The film is not only phonetically reminiscent of another drama by the filmmaker – “The Wrestler” from 2008. Instead of Fraser, Mickey Rourke (69), who was also sorted out by Hollywood, started the unpretentious soul strip. And earned his first and only Oscar nomination as a broken-down, heart-sick, peroxide-blonde wrestler struggling to win his daughter’s affection from the fading spotlight.
“The Whale”, the portrait of a deeply depressed man, exudes a similar semi-autobiographical touch. Like Fraser, Rourke was once considered a prime example of Hollywood sex appeal. And both were dropped just as quickly when they could no longer meet this standard of beauty in the dream factory.
But this is exactly where Fraser’s chance could lie. Because he took on serious roles over the course of his career. Alone, these never really wanted to step out of the shadow of his comedies and adventure films and were thus forgotten.
It remains to be seen whether “The Whale” could even make Fraser an Oscar contender. In any case, Aronofsky’s quota is impressive. Natalie Portman (41) received the Oscar for “Black Swan” in 2011, Ellen Burstyn (89) was nominated for “Requiem for a Dream” as the leading actress, but like Rourke eight years later, she went away empty-handed. But there are also outliers: Ironically, Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence (31) was chosen for Aronofsky’s “Mother!” nominated for the Golden Raspberry.
Regardless of the potential success of “The Whale,” Fraser’s second spring in Hollywood seems to have arrived. Two equally promising films with him in leading roles are already in post-production: The star-studded western drama “Killers of the Flower Moon”, including Leonardo DiCaprio (47), Robert De Niro (78) and Jesse Plemons (34) . And the comic book adaptation of Batgirl, in which Fraser reportedly plays villain Garfield Lynns aka Firefly.
