We’re merely three days away from catching a glimpse of Brendan Fraser‘s triumphant comeback in The Whale, the latest psychological drama from Darren Aronofsky that’s reportedly put Fraser near the front of the line for Best Actor at next year’s Oscars ceremony.
Indeed, paired with rising superstar Sadie Sink, it looks like Fraser’s turn in The Whale will require more than a few tissue boxes to experience, and given his tumultuous relationship with Hollywood that left him tragically blacklisted all these years, there have been fewer more poetic moments this year than Fraser’s emotionally charged return to the big screen.
And no one has had a more visceral reaction to Fraser’s return than Fraser himself. In an interview with Variety alongside Adam Sandler, the 54-year-old actor opened up about how COVID-19 affected the production of the film, and subsequently his potential involvement with it.
“We started talking about it in January 2020. And then March 2020 came along, and we all know what happened. Everything shut down, so the film went on ice.”
And while he never entirely lost faith in the project ultimately coming to fruition, Fraser admitted to having a joy-laden panic attack when he found out that Aronofsky was bringing him back on.
“I kept the faith. But I’ve seen the ship sail plenty of times before, and I don’t take it personally. He texted me. In typical Darren fashion, he starts the conversation right in the middle: ‘This is your research.’ ‘Am I hired?’ He’s like, ‘Yes.’ I had an equal part panic attack and felt calmly overjoyed.”
The Whale stars Fraser as Charlie, an English teacher near the end of his life, who’s wrestling with regrets over leaving his wife and daughter for his now-deceased lover. As he attempts to reconnect with his daughter, Ellie, the two paint a tear-jerking portrait of compassion, forgiveness, shame, and humanity.
The Whale will release to theaters on Dec. 9.