Brendan Fraser gives tearful acceptance speech for those who feel like they’re 'in a dark sea’

Brendan Fraser delivered an emotional speech while accepting the award for best actor at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards.

Fraser, who won the award for his role in "The Whale," started crying once his name was announced, and still managed to start off his speech with a joke.

"It was Herman Melville who once wrote that there are only five critics in America — the rest are asleep. I don’t know what it means, either, but I’m sure glad you woke up for me. Where were you for 'Furry Vengeance'?" he asked, referencing his 2010 comedy film.

He continued, saying he was lucky to work with an incredible ensemble on "The Whale," which he described as a film about love, redemption and "finding the light in a dark place."

The actor, 54, went on to thank several of his co-stars, including Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, Sam Hunter and Ty Simpkins, as well as the film's director.

"Darren Aronofsky, I was in the wilderness, and I probably should have left a trail of breadcrumbs, but you’ve found me," he said. "And like all the best directors, you merely just showed me where to go to get to where I needed to be."

He concluded his speech through tears with a message for those who struggle in any way with obesity, or if "you just feel like you’re in a dark sea."

"I want you to know that if you, too, can have the strength to just get to your feet and go to the light, good things will happen," he said.

Fraser has been a high-profile contender for awards season since "The Whale" received a six-minute standing ovation after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

The film follows Charlie, a gay man with severe obesity portrayed by Fraser, as he tries to mend his relationship with his 17-year-old daughter.

To play the character, Fraser wore a prosthetic suit that added 50 to 300 pounds, spending up to six hours a day in hair and makeup to make the transformation. Fraser called the suit "cumbersome" in an interview ahead of the film's Venice premiere, according to Vanity Fair.

"The torso piece was almost like a straight jacket with sleeves that went on, airbrushed by hand, to look identical as would human skin, right down to the hand-punched hair," he said.

Fraser is highly anticipated to receive a nomination for best actor at this year's Academy Awards and was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com