Brendan Fraser sobs during six-minute standing ovation for his comeback film

7 September 2022, 12:50

Brendan Fraser in the trailer for The Mummy

Brendan Fraser received a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.

Despite his massive success with The Mummy franchise, it's been a while since we've seen Brendan Fraser in a major leading role.

He got rave reviews for his ensemble part in Steven Soderbergh's No Sudden Move last year, and it looks like his starring comeback will do even better, wowing audiences at the Venice Film Festival.

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Fraser heads up Darren Aronofsky's upcoming The Whale, which received a six-minute standing ovation in the Sala Grande Theatre at Venice, prompting tears from its leading man.

The film stars Fraser as 600-pound dad Charlie who is trying to reconnect with his estranged 17-year-old daughter Ellie, played by Sadie Sink.

Fraser tried to leave the cinema after the festival screening, Variety reports, but the continued applause made him stay.

Brendan Fraser in tears during the 6 minute standing ovation for The Whale at the Venice Film Fest.

Among those who have given their congratulations to Fraser, who is being tipped for a Best Actor Oscar, is Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

Johnson broke into acting in Fraser's The Mummy Returns in 2001 before starring in its spinoff The Scorpion King the following year.

"Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan," he said.

"He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career.

"Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky"

Speaking about the physical demands of the role, which required the use of heavy prosthetics, Fraser said: "I developed muscles I did not know I had.

"I even felt a sense of vertigo at the end of the day when all the appliances were removed; it was like stepping off the dock onto a boat in Venice. That [sense of] undulating.

"It gave me appreciation for those whose bodies are similar. You need to be an incredibly strong person, mentally and physically, to inhabit that physical being."

One new Fraser role we're unlikely to see for some time is the unfinished DC Comics movie Batgirl, which saw Brendan playing villain Ted Carson / Firefly.

The film was pulled from schedules during post-production, with the recently-merged Warner Bros Discovery stating that it would no longer release the film either in cinemas or via streaming on HBO Max as planned.

However, Fraser's career resurgence continues into next year, with roles in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and Max Barbakow's comedy Brothers.