If the Sunday night world premiere of “The Whale” at the Venice Film Festival is any indication, Brendan Fraser’s return to Hollywood will be met with plenty of cheers — and even more tears. When the credits rolled on the Darren Aronofsky drama, the actor was overcome with emotion. Fraser sobbed throughout the six-minute standing ovation which is very likely to put him at the forefront of this year’s best actor Oscars race. 

Brendan Fraser hugged Aronofsky several during the ovation. Fraser who plays a 600-pound gay man confined to a wheelchair, the actor was overcome with emotion. He tried to leave the theater at one point, but the outpouring of clapping was so loud that he stayed longer and took a bow. 

His 2001 The Mummy Returns co-star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson took to his official Twitter handle and shared the touching moment with some sweet and kind words for his fellow buddy. He wrote, "Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan. He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky. #TheWhale 👏🏾 ". Check it out:

Darren Aronofsky's The Whale stars Fraser as Charlie, a morbidly obese man who struggles to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter Ellie, played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. The two grew apart after Charlie abandoned his family for his gay lover, who later died. Charlie then went on to binge eat out of pain and guilt. During the screening of the film, many inside the theater broke out crying during the film’s heartbreaking final scenes.

The supporting cast also includes Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, and Ty Simpkins. The movie is based on the play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter, who adapted the stage script into Aronofsky’s feature. To play the lead character in the film, Fraser wore a prosthetic suit that added anywhere from 50 to 300 pounds given the scene. The actor spent as much as six hours in the makeup chair each day to fully transform into the character. 

Brendan Fraser became a household name after being cast as the action star at the movies with 1997’s George of the Jungle and the box office blockbuster franchise The Mummy. But his leading man status died down in the 2010s as he took smaller roles. The Whale marks a huge comeback for the actor in his first starring role in a film since the 2013 action movie Breakout.

On the work front, Fraser’s will be seen in Martin Scorsese’s Apple western Killers of the Flower Moon starring Hollywood biggie Leonardo DiCaprio. His turn as Garfield Lynns/Firefly in the DC film Batgirl was something fans were looking forward to but unfortunately will not be seen as Warner Bros. canceled the film’s release when it was in its final stages of production due to unknown reasons.