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Critics' Choice Awards: Brendan Fraser wins Best Actor for 'The Whale', fans say he 'deserves' all the happiness

The actor won the Best Actor accolade for his performance in 'The Whale' and thanked everyone who supported him

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Brendan Fraser’s performance in ‘The Whale’ made everyone cry. Ever since the movie came out, he was considered the frontrunner for the Best Actor accolade during the awards season. Everyone was hoping for him to win the awards and his fans can now take a sigh of relief as the star has won the Best Actor in a Leading Role trophy at the 28th annual Critics’ Choice Awards.

The star went on to bear out Austin Butler (‘Elvis’), Tom Cruise (‘Top Gun: Maverick’), Colin Farrell (‘The Banshees of Inisherin’), Paul Mescal (‘Aftersun’), and Bill Nighy (‘Living’) to clinch the trophy. Fraser couldn’t hold back tears when his name was announced from the stage and got a standing ovation as he hugged his loved ones to celebrate this monumental victory.

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Before going up on the stage, he hugged ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ star Ke Huy Quan and had a little endearing chat with him. Huy Quan and Fraser are close friends and recently opened up about how, even after so many years, they are still a part of Hollywood and doing what they love the most.

The star began his speech with a joke and thanked the Critics’ Choice Association for “waking up from sleep” to choose him as the winner. However, the rest of his speech was emotional and he didn’t leave any stone unturned to thank everyone who supported him throughout his life. Fraser said, “It was Herman Melville who once wrote that there are only five critics in America — the rest are asleep. I don't know what it means, either, but I'm sure glad you woke up for me.”

Fraser also noted that ‘The Whale’ was all about “redemption” and finding light in a very dark place. He went on to express gratitude toward Darren Aronofsky who found him in the wilderness and gave him the opportunity to portray such an important character like Charlie.

“And Darren Aronofsky, I was in the wilderness — and I probably should've left a trail of breadcrumbs — but you found me, and like all the best directors, you merely just showed me where to go to get me where I needed to be,” Fraser added.

He concluded his speech with tears in his eyes and thanked his co-stars for being so fabulous. Fraser concluded through tears, “If you — like Charlie, who I played in this movie — in any way, struggle with obesity, or you just feel like you're in a dark sea, I want you to know that if you, too, can have the strength to just get to your feet and go to the light, good things will happen.”

‘The Whale’ tells the story of a man named Charlie (Fraser) who has gained a lot of weight after the death of his partner. His partner's sudden demise shattered him and he started to suffer from an eating disorder. He knows that his end is near and all he wants to do is to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) so that he could die in peace.

Social media erupted when Fraser took the stage and congratulated the actor for such an amazing speech. One of the fans said, "Well done! Congratulations sir." Another fan noted, "fantastic actor and great human being! deserve this happiness." Another fan tweeted, "So freaking well deserved." Another social media user tweeted, "AS HE SHOULD, HE DESERVES EVERYTHING ON THIS WORLD." Another fan said, "Brendan deserves all the awards."

Fraser received universal acclaim for his impeccable performance and won Best Actor accolades from several critics' associations, but this win is undoubtedly the biggest of his career and a befitting reply to those who doubted him and tried to put him down.