Brendan Fraser insists he has “made peace with himself” after “withdrawing” from the Hollywood mainstream

There’s a strange irony attached to Brendan Fraser’s potentially Oscar-winning role in The Whale, director Darren Aronofsky’s poignant address to America’s obesity crisis.

Here, the actor once famous for his rugged physique and sultry good looks is almost unrecognizable as seriously overweight English teacher Charlie, a man whose health problems leave him estranged from society and alienated from his family.

It’s a role that comes many years after his Hollywood career hit the box office with The Mummy, entertaining millions as Indiana Jones-inspired adventurer Rick O’Connell.

But it’s also the only performance that might earn him the kind of recognition he’s never received in the mainstream – as Frasier is expected to win Best Actor at the 95th Academy Awards in March.

Now 54-years-old, the American star is enjoying a career renaissance that is largely due to his undeniable talent, rather than the traditional good looks he freely admits are fading.

Speaking of his past reputation as one of the best actors in the industry, he told The Telegraph: ‘I know it got me to a point in my life when I needed to take a step back. And I did.

Antiquity: It’s a role that comes many years after his Hollywood career hit the box office with The Mummy, entertaining millions as Indiana Jones-inspired adventurer Rick O’Connell (pictured with co-star Rachel Weisz)

I’m older now; I don’t look the way I did in those days, nor do I necessarily want to. And I am glad that the work I can do is based on an emotional reality that is not my own life, but a reality with which I can identify strongly.

Fraser donned a fat suit filled with refried beans to prove his baggy-meat aesthetic while playing 21-stone Charlie, a middle-aged loner whose morbid obesity puts him at risk of congestive heart failure.

However, he insisted that the costume wasn’t restrictive – I found it helpful, frankly, that it was very cumbersome. I learned that Charlie had to be an incredibly strong man to carry around that body, which I thought was kind of hairy.

In peace: Now 54-years-old, the actor is enjoying a career renaissance that’s owed in large part to his undeniable talent, rather than the traditional good looks he freely admits are fading.

Previously: Fraser’s muscular build once earned him a string of Hollywood roles, including the title role in George Of The Jungle (pictured)

Speaking about his latest role during an appearance on Friday’s edition of Lorraine, the actor admitted that after a decades-long film career, he doesn’t feel like he has anything to prove anymore.

‘I have three kids,’ he said, ‘I know what it means to have all the love I need in my life and I have nothing to prove.

‘You make one.’ [film] For fun, for money, for prestige, and if you’re lucky, you can make a movie at all and the fact that I’m going to be a part of a movie I hope will change some hearts and touch weight prejudice. There is harm to be done by the way we talk to each other.

The opening: Speaking about his latest role during an appearance on Friday’s edition of Lorraine, the actor admitted that after a decades-long film career, he didn’t feel like he had anything to prove anymore.

ORIGINAL: Frasier donned a fat suit filled with refried beans to prove his baggy aesthetic while playing 21 Stone’s Charlie, an isolated and obese middle-aged man.

The actor also spoke to Digital Spy about his role in The Whale, and admitted that the accolades he has cast are ‘rewarding’.

He said: I have a feeling of excitement in anticipation of what can happen. But I don’t know. Nobody does.

I have an open mind, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this takes us. I’m glad we found where we are now.