Brendan Fraser pushes back against comments about his ‘career hiatus’

Brendan Fraser’s turn as Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is one of the best cinematic performances of the year.

In the A24 flick, which earned The Mummy star an Oscar nomination, Fraser plays a morbidly obese English teacher who desperately tries to reconnect with his rebellious teenage daughter Ellie (mesmerisingly played by Sadie Sink).

But not all interest surrounding the film has been about Fraser’s portrayal of Charlie.

There’s also been plenty of discussion about what’s widely been considered Fraser’s return to the limelight following a career hiatus, a notion Fraser revealed he isn’t totally onboard with when UNILAD caught up with him recently.

But first up, check out the blistering trailer for The Whale below:

After dominating box offices with hits like The Mummy and George Of The Jungle, Fraser’s leading roles seemingly fizzled out,

In 2018, GQ even ran a story titled ‘What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?’ in which the actor bravely opened up about being groped by a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

However, Fraser has pushed back against the widespread perception he dropped off the radar completely.

Brendan Fraser’s turn as Charlie in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is one of the best cinematic performances of the year.

When asked how he felt about the term ‘career comeback’ being bandied around ahead of The Whale’s UK release, Fraser said: “I was never that far away, I promise.”

He went on: “I don’t know an actor who hasn’t kept his hands and feet busy and not gone completely bonkers out of their mind as I [would] have done too if I weren’t working. I always kept interested in what I’m doing.”

While Fraser did take a break from headlining studio tentpole movies, he has still made consistent TV appearances in the third season of The Affair and DC's Doom Patrol.

As for his involvement in The Whale, Fraser added: “But with The Whale, I’m glad that it’s meaningful and having an impact on audiences to challenge their sense of empathy.

Paul Smith / Alamy Stock Photo

“And to have worked with Darren Aronofsky, an actor's director who has a proven track record for bringing out performances in actors who you would have otherwise believed one certain thing about until he reinvented them for you.”

Fraser also opened up about what he hopes people will take away from his new film, sharing: “I think that this film has a great deal to say about empathy.

"And I think that it can reorient and challenge us to rethink the way that we may have held certain predisposed beliefs about people who live with obesity before seeing this film, because I guarantee you, you're going to be hard pressed to feel the same way by stories.”

The Whale will be released in UK cinemas on 3 February