Brendan Fraser Comeback in 'The Whale' (Exclusive)

"How shall I put it? I'm moved, I'm appreciative, "The actor was astounded when he recently sat down with ET's Nischelle Turner to talk about his successful return to Hollywood and his acclaimed part in director Darren Aronofsky's next picture, The Whale.

The actor discussed the tense drama with Samuel D. Hunter, who also authored the screenplay and the play on which the movie is based. In it, he plays a morbidly obese guy who is trying to get back in touch with his estranged daughter, who is played by Sadie Sink from Stranger Things.

In regards to the plot, Fraser remarked, "I think as performers, writers, and creators, we have to find these inspirations and tools that drive us, that really give us a reason to do what we do. Let's be honest: "It's nice work if you can get it, and every so often, if you're lucky, a piece comes along that you discover you connect with in a manner that makes you care, and this film is one of those films."

The actor also mentioned how much more significant the film's production was because of how much he related to the parenthood narrative. Griffin, 20, Holden, 18, and Leland, 16, are the three sons that Fraser and his ex-wife Afton Smith had together.

"Now that I have kids, it actually justifies how I make decisions, what I'm going to do — and, whatever it is that I'm doing, how I feel about what I'm doing," he said. "Somehow the stakes are increased to the point that something that may appear commonplace or ordinary becomes a great deal more significance."

The actor continued, "I spent the first, oh, 25 years or so of my career doing movies that I produced all the hope, aspiration, and joy from what I believed to be coming from a character or a storyline, and then some alchemy happens when you have kids and suddenly everything clicks. "That enhances the stakes and, at least for me, increases the genuineness of what we do in some way."

Charlie, the reclusive English teacher played by Fraser in The Whale, is "harming himself for his broken heart, and that's been through overeating," according to Fraser.

The idea is that he is a man and so much more than he would seem to be to the outside world, he said. When we know that the difficulty of relating to people is what brings us the closest together, it is all too simple to be cynical and disregard others in that way.

The issue arises, though, when Charlie's health starts to deteriorate. Fraser said, "His time is limited. "He is very eager to get in touch with his daughter. Due to the uncertainty as to whether he can or will succeed, there is tension."

Sink and Hong Chau, who plays Charlie's nurse and best friend, Liz, lauded Fraser for his dedication to his role in the movie, stating that as they went through rehearsals, something in the actor's portrayal changed that motivated the entire ensemble.

Fraser, just as he has done during this new "Brenaissance," who graciously received the compliment, emphasized, "You're only as good as the individuals you work with. I'm grateful to hear whatever it was, but I'm sure it came from paying attention to what they were doing and doing my best to get out of my brain or away from the book."

"Given that, let's face it, this was a movie that was produced during the COVID era for us, it was a smart idea for us to be prepared when we arrived at the created set. Strangely, the fact that we were all facing existential peril in our daily lives seemed to benefit the production "Added he. "We became closer because of that. As a result, we were even more cautious around one another, and this is truly what the story's insular components are all about."

Dec. 9 sees a restricted release of The Whale, followed by a wide release on Dec. 21.