Brendan Fraser has certainly reinvented himself as he approaches the later stages of his career, winning the Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’ for his turn in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. During the 1990s, Fraser was brilliant as the leading man in the action-adventure The Mummy franchise, the comedies George Of The Jungle, and the caveman high-school flick Encino Man.
Fraser continued to star in a number of movies throughout the 2000s, including the Paul Haggis crime drama Crash, which won the ‘Best Picture’ Oscar in 2004. And then, suddenly, Fraser disappeared from the silver screen for some time.
It was a conscious decision made by the actor himself, who decided to take a break from the spotlight. His return to cinema over the last decade has been significant and is proof that Fraser is still a fantastic performer and was sorely missed. Physically, Fraser has changed quite dramatically from his earlier days as the buff action hero he was known for. Today, the actor has a commanding presence on screen, something that got the attention of a number of modern directors.
Fraser was cast in Steven Soderbergh’s crime drama No Sudden Move, and although his appearance in the film is brief, it was a captivating and striking performance. Most recently, Fraser was also in Martin Scorsese’s epic western Killers Of The Flower Moon. Fraser’s role in the film is only for a couple of scenes, but again, you leave wishing he had way more time on screen.
However, it was Aronofsky’s The Whale that seemed to be the statement to the world that the actor had officially returned. Fraser’s excellent performance really was the driving force of Aronofsky’s sentimental drama about an obese and lonely man searching for salvation. Fraser has had a unique journey with the movie business, and his recent revival is proving his talent as a powerful performer.
The actor sat down with A.Frame to discuss the movies that have shaped him as a person and as an actor. He also revealed that the early Disney movie Bambi from 1942 was the first movie he ever saw, a film that had a huge impact on him. Bambi also has one of the most harrowing scenes in cinema when Bambi’s mother is shot by a hunter – a scene Fraser discusses in his interview.
The actor revealed: “The first film I saw was Bambi. I was a child, clearly — I would’ve been five or six. Teeny Brendan, itty-bitty Brendan — and it made me always want to be kind to animals. That’s what I remember. Of course, there’s traumas. Clearly, the hunter and Bambi’s mom stayed with me. But it also made me want to have a friend like Thumper. So, it was a relationship piece.”
Watch the trailer below.
