Brendan Fraser's emotional comeback surprised even The Whale director Darren Aronofsky. Penned by playwright Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Aronofsky, The Whale stars Fraser as a reclusive, morbidly obese online English professor who, after discovering he is dying from congestive heart failure, decides to reconnect with his estranged daughter, played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. After disappearing from film for much of the 2010s due to various personal reasons, Fraser's emotional and empathetic performance in The Whale has signified his return to movie stardom and the true start of his Hollywood comeback, which has been dubbed "The Brenaissance."

https://screenrant.com/the-whale-director-surprised-by-brendan-fraser-reaction/