Hong Chau and Brendan Fraser.Photo: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
Brendan Frasercertainly has no shortage of fans — and he can add hisThe WhalecostarHong Chauto the list!
Speaking with PEOPLE Thursday at the Palm Springs International Film Awards, Chau touched on celebrating Fraser, 54, ashe accepted the Spotlight Awardduring the event.
“I’m just happy to be here presenting an award to Brendan. … It’s the start of award season and I want him to win all of the awards,” says the actress, 43, who plays the caregiver to Fraser’s character Charlie inThe Whale. “So I’m just glad to be here at the start of it and to be a small part of it.”
Asked what it has been like to see theoverwhelming positive response to Fraser’s performancein the film, Chau jokes to PEOPLE of their press tour, “It’s been like traveling with a member ofthe Beatlesto see the amount of adoration and love just thrown at him.”
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From L to R: Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Darren Aronofsky, Sadie Sink and Samuel D. Hunter.John Phillips/Getty
“People just love him,” she continues. “They love him and I love him, but I just had no idea that people held him so close and so dear to their hearts.”
Chau goes on to say her costar is “so deserving of” the love, “because he is genuinely the person you think he is, and everybody talks about what a nice guy he is. And I think that kind of overshadowswhat a great talent he is.”
That’s not to say Fraser’s talent — and range — haven’t been continually apparent to Chau, even in the earlier days of his film career.
“Even when he was doingGeorge of the JungleandThe Mummy, he was also trying to do more dramatic and interesting roles likeCrashandThe Quiet AmericanandGods and Monsters,” she says. “So I think for a long time, Brendan has been searching for a role that he could really sink his teeth into and show people what he could do, and I’m glad that he finally found it inThe Whale.”
Brendan Fraser.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Fraser’s commitmentto the role, in which he playsa 600-lb. man who reckons with the limits of his reclusive life over a period of five days, has earned him multiple award nods, including aGolden Globenomination.
Speaking with PEOPLE on Thursday at the Palm Springs event, the actor said the praise he has received for his performancehas “been gratifying” and “eye-opening.”
He adds, “But when it does, andit’s material that’s handled with careand the project comports itself in a way that’s interesting and important, I feel very fortunate and lucky to be a part of it.”
The Whaleis in theaters now.
source: people.com
