The 95th Academy Awards kickstarted on Monday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. American actor Brendan Fraser, the 90s heartthrob who made a career comeback with his awards season run for ‘The Whale', won the Oscar for best actor. In the movie - directed by Darren Aronofsky and adapted by Samuel D Hunter from his own play - Mr Fraser stars as the morbidly obese teacher. He defeated a field of contenders including Elvis' Austin Butler and The Banshees of Inisherin's Colin Farrell.
Taking to the stage, an emotional Mr Fraser said, “So this is what the multiverse looks like!” He paid tribute to the film's director, Darren Aronofsky and writer Samuel Hunter. “You laid your whale-sized hearts bare so we could see into your souls,” he said. Mr Fraser closed his speech by touching on his early years in the industry.
“I started in this business 30 years ago,” he said. “Things didn't come easily to me but there was a facility I didn't appreciate at the time until it stopped,” he added.
Now, celebrating his big win, internet users flooded Twitter with all kinds of reactions.
“Brendan Fraser deserved it more than anyone,” wrote one user. “there aren't many men in the world where you can immediately tell that they are a good guy, but brendan fraser is certainly one of them. he is very deserving of this award and i hope more success continues to come his way,” said another.
A third user commented, “I'm extremely happy that Brendan Fraser won tonight, I legitimately screamed with excitement and joy,” while a fourth added, “Shout out to Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser & Michelle Yeoh for showing that you are never past your prime and that hard work DOES eventually pay off chasing your dreams & doing what you love.”
Meanwhile, Mr Fraser has also won the best actor award for ‘The Whale' at the Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice awards, and best actor nominations for the Baftas and Golden Globes (for film drama). The film tells the moving story of an obese, wheelchair-bound literature professor who tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter.
