Brendan Fraser breaks down in acceptance speech after winning Best Actor for his performance in The Whale

Brendan Fraser got emotional during his acceptance speech after being awarded 'Best Actor' at the 6th Annual Hollywood Critics Association for his role in The Whale.

The 54-year-old has been lauded by critics for his stunning performance, in which he plays reclusive, overweight, English teacher Charlie who attempts to reconnect with his seventeen-year-old daughter.

Take a look at Fraser's heartwarming speech below:

Fraser took to the stage at the HCA Film Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Friday, 24 February after being given the 'Best Actor' award for his role as Charlie.

The film highlights the character's weight gain, which is a result of a spiral of guilt-induced binge eating after having left his family for a gay lover who later died.

What's being referred to as Fraser's best role yet, the actor was forced to wear a highly elaborate and detailed prosthetic suit in order to pull off the look of a 600lb man.

In his acceptance speech, Fraser spoke about how lucky he is to make movies for a living, while referencing his character Charlie, who didn't have the best of luck.

A24

"Charlie, he's one of those guys. Luck has eluded him. Some of it his fault, most of it is not," Fraser told the audience.

"He's trapped, he's in he's in an ocean of regret, he grapples with illness, he's lonely and his time's running short.

"He just wants to do one good thing with his life, one good thing.

"And I think that's a lot of us, we want our lives to be meaningful, we want to know the feeling of being lucky, to be the hero, to conquer that white whale

"It's hard to get there, believe me, I know."

HCA

Fraser then ended his speech on a positive note: "At the end of the film, for those of you have seen it, Charlie's luck does change and he finds courage to take that one important step forward and that changes the course of his life, his luck is redeemed.

"And I'm telling you with every inch of my whale sized heart, I wish the very same for anyone of you or those of you know who might also feel lost at sea, you deserve to go and seek the luck that you deserve.

"There's a beautiful life waiting for you to embrace, take that step towards the light."

The Whale has been dubbed as Fraser's 'comeback' film after working on just three films since 2014.