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Brendan Fraser Tears Up in Emotional Speech Accepting TIFF Award

The actor appeared humbled at the festival and said he was “forever grateful.”

A resurgent Brendan Fraser got emotional as he took the stage Sunday night to a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival. “We need more people like Brendan Fraser, the man and the actor,” director Darren Aronofsky said as he introduced the A-lister. Accepting a TIFF Tribute Award for Performance for The Whale, the actor said: “Art is about taking a risk, and you should know that [Aronofsky and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter] took a chance on me, and I will be forever grateful to them. ‘The Whale’ is a redemption story.” His voice breaking, Fraser said, “I want you to know how deeply I appreciate this affirmation. It’s the audience that gives cinema life, so I must thank you for keeping me in the job that I love because it’s nice work if you can get it.” It wasn’t all tears, though. “This is new to me,” Fraser said of accepting the award. “I’m normally the guy at the podium who hands these out,” he quipped. “I got pretty got at it.”