Brendan Fraser has “made peace” with the way he looks.
The 54-year-old actor has been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the obese English teacher Charlie in the new film ‘The Whale’, although he has previously played characters with brooding good looks in movies such as ‘The Mummy’ and ‘George of the Jungle’.
Brendan is glad that his career renaissance is being built on his acting talent rather than his appearance after he “retreated” from Hollywood.
Reflecting on his past reputation for his rugged handsomeness, Brendan told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I do know that it brought me to a point in my life when I needed to retreat. And I did.
“I’m older now; I don’t look the way I did in those days, and I don’t necessarily want to. And I’m glad that the work I can do is based in an emotional reality that’s not my own life, but is one that I can strongly identify with.”
Brendan wore a fat suit filled with dried beans to replicate the physique of the morbidly obese Charlie in the film and insists that it was not “restrictive”.
He said: “(The costume) wasn’t restrictive – I found it helpful, honestly, that it was so cumbersome. I learned that Charlie had to be an incredibly strong man to carry around that body, which I thought was kind of poetic.”
The star also admitted that the awards buzz surrounding ‘The Whale’ is “rewarding”.
Brendan told Digital Spy: “I have a feeling of excited anticipation about what could happen. But I don’t know. No one does.
“I have an open mind, and I’m looking forward to finding out where this is going to take us. I’m glad it found us where we are now.”
