Hollywood sure loves a good comeback story. The 2023 Oscars brought all the tears and triumphs of classic hero tales. The rise and eternal glory of Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan was truly a sight to behold.
From a refugee camp to the world stage
Who would have ever guess that Data from ‘The Goonies’ would be up on the grand stage, all grown up, winning an Oscar. Yes, some of the American-Vietnamese actor’s notable roles come nearly four decades ago as a child actor.
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But walking home with the Best Supporting Actor Award Award for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” caps one of the best returns to the mainstream! Plus, who could forget that absolutely brilliant acceptance speech. Warning: this will make you ugly-cry!
Now 51-years-old, Ke Huy Quan says he spent years on the outside, looking in – not featuring in movies – finding difficulty getting work as an Asian actor.
There is somewhat of a parallel between Quan and Brendan Fraser at the Oscars. Especially in the sense of climbing up the acting ladder and leaving Hollywood reeling all over again.
To a room full of fellow actors, “thank you so much for welcoming me back,” he said. Everything Everywhere All at Once is directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. It was the most nominated film of the evening.
The golden age of the “Brenaissance”
Brenda Fraser took home the Best Actor award for his role in ‘The Whale’. A tear-jerking, metamorphic role where Fraser revived his once-shining career. The 54-year-old was one of five first-time nominees in the category – the first time this occurred at the Oscars since 1935! He beat Austin Butler (Elvis), Paul Mescal (Aftersun), Bill Nighy (Living) and Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin).
“So, this is what the multiverse looks like,” an emotional and breathless Fraser remarked on on stage Sunday night.
Fraser’s win is for his powerful performance in The Whale, where a morbidly obese man eats compulsively, tormented by grief. He also tries to rekindle a relationship with his teenage daughter.
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Fraser first found swift success following his breakthrough role as a frozen caveman discovered by two modern-day teen in Encino Man. This sparked a number of major roles in movies like George of the Jungle and The Mummy. But his blazing career would soon come to a halt.
In 2003, Fraser publicly announced that he was the alleged victim of sexual assault by a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the Golden Globes. In an interview, the actor said he was then blacklisted by the industry after accusing Philip Berk of groping him. Berk denies the accusations.
Fraser says the psychological damage of the alleged assault, along with the industry’s response and a bitter divorce from his wife, all took its toll on his well-being.
And that is why Fraser’s comeback on the scene is more than just a childhood favourite reappearing decades later. It is a story that will solidify Brendan Fraser’s Oscars glory!
Future projects for Fraser include Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
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