Brendan Fraser has received a hugely positive reception following the premiere of his new film The Whale at the Venice International Film Festival.
The new film from Darren Aronofsky sees the actor play a reclusive English teacher who lives with life-threatening obesity.
Since the film premiered over the weekend, footage has emerged of the audience giving Fraser a standing ovation, which reportedly lasted for six minutes. The star can also be seen to be tearful during the clip.
The standing ovation for #TheWhale was so enthusiastic, Brendan Fraser tried to leave the theater but the crowd’s applause made him stay. #Venezia79 pic.twitter.com/ZZ0vbFX7Rl
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) September 4, 2022
Among those responding to the viral clip is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who tweeted: “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. #TheWhale”.
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. #TheWhale
https://t.co/SNBLPHHmEZ
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 4, 2022
Last year, Fraser – who has been tipped for an Oscar for his new role – was shown to be visibly emotional during a fan meet-and-greet, which comes after years away from the limelight.
Meanwhile, the actor recently opened up about wearing a fat suit for The Whale to play an obese man, telling Vanity Fair of learning more about the condition: “I learned quickly that it takes an incredibly strong person inside that body to be that person.
“That seemed fitting and poetic and practical to me, all at once,” he added.
The star also addressed controversy over actors wearing fat suits to play characters, saying his film is “a call for empathy”
“I looked at other body suits that had been used in comedies over the years, usually for a one-note joke,” Fraser continued. “Whether intended or not, the joke is, it defies gravity. This was not that.”
Alongside Fraser, The Whale also stars Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) Hong Chau (Watchmen), Samantha Morton (Minority Report) and Ty Simpkins (Avengers: Endgame).
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