Oscars 2023: Brendan Fraser wins Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in The Whale

Brendan Frazer walked onto the stage visibly emotional to accept his award from fellow actors and Oscar winners, Jessica Chastain and Halle Berry.

Brendan Fraser is now an Academy Award winner!

Watch The Whale on OTTplay

Canadian actor Brendan Fraser delivered one of his finest and most compelling performances in Darren Aronofsky's 2022 psychological drama, The Whale. Fraser's portrayal as the highly reclusive and morbidly unhealthy English professor Charlie stirred up the global audience and film critics alike and also earned him his first Academy Award nomination in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category.

In the race leading up to the Oscars, Brendan Fraser was touted as one of the top contenders to win the award and just as expected, the jury has adjudged him the Best Actor in a leading role at the 95th Academy Awards.

Frazer, who was one of the five nominees in one of the biggest and most categories at the Oscars, walked onto the stage teary-eyed and visibly emotional to accept his award from fellow actors and Oscar winners, Jessica Chastain and Halle Berry.

The other four nominees for the Best Actor in a Leading Role category were Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Paul Mescal (Aftersun) and Bill Nighy (Living). Butler, for his captivating portrayal of rock 'n roll legend Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's dazzling biographical drama, was another frontrunner for the award.

As far as The Whale is concerned, Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) directed the picture based on a Samuel D. Hunter screenplay, which was in turn based on Hunter's own 2012 play of the same name. The film, whose crux is a poignant father-daughter relationship, also stars a very effective Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins, and Samantha Morton.

Earlier at the Oscars, S.S. Rajamouli's RRR created history as the film's iconic track, Naatu Naatu, went on to win the Academy Award in the Best Original Song category. Film's composer M.M. Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose walked onto the stage to accept the award amid incredible fanfare - by virtue of this, Naatu Naatu became the first ever song belonging to an Indian production to win an Oscar.

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