Brendan Fraser knows the hurt — that’s why he stands by ‘The Whale’

“I felt like I knew this guy in a composite sort of way,” says Brendan Fraser of his “Whale” character, Charlie. Nominated for lead actor, his first nod from the film academy, he often returns to the advice his longtime friend Ian McKellen gave him about acceptance speeches: “Be good, be brief, be seated.” Brendan Fraser as Charlie in “The Whale.” Awards weren’t part of Fraser’s mindset when he first heard that director Darren Aronofsky wanted to meet with him. Awards How the moving story of ‘The Whale’ lured Hong Chau onto the set “I recognized the pain and the beauty in Charlie,” the actor says of the film’s protagonist. “I respect those who don’t see eye to eye with the aims of this film,” Fraser says. “And the agent was like, ‘What the f— is this?’ But it was like, ‘I belong.’ Everybody wants to belong in one way or the other.” Fraser’s fond look back In his 30-plus-year film career, Brendan Fraser has starred in hit comedies, action-adventure blockbusters and acclaimed indies.