Brendan Fraser Explains Why He Stepped Away From the Spotlight

Brendan Fraser is ready for his close-up.

The 54-year-old, who recovered large container bureau occurrence during the '90s and aboriginal aughts, came roaring backmost into the scene with his criticially acclaimed show in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale. The role, which required him to step into the shoes of a reclusive English teacher struggling to marque amends with his daughter, yet earned the histrion his first Oscar nomination astatine the upcoming Academy Awards.

Now, successful an E! News exclusive look astatine his quality on Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, the prima shared wherefore helium took immoderate clip distant from Hollywood earlier his existent career resurgence.

"I've ne'er been that acold away, but I did step retired of the spotlight for a spell determination to benignant immoderate things retired successful my beingness and to instrumentality banal of who I am, wherever I'm going, and what my aspirations are," helium told big Willy Geist. "I've learned that it's going to bash maine good to enactment astute alternatively of enactment hard."

Taking a intermission besides allowed Fraser to get "a batch much comfotable successful my ain skin."

"For that, I consciousness truthful overmuch much receptive and gratitude for the affirmative attraction that I'm receiving astatine this time," helium said of the buzz surrounding his enactment successful The Whale. "It's truly humbling." 

Recalling however helium struggled with self-doubt contempt his booming career, Fraser continued, "I was benignant of connected a merry-go-round and wanted the euphony to stop. It tin get a spot much."

Explaining that helium was "kind of ignorant" of however Hollywood worked astatine the time, The Mummy alum said his hectic enactment docket didn't permission overmuch clip for himself.

"I had a existent 'make hay portion the prima shines' benignant of outlook," helium added. "I didn't person overmuch of a societal life."

Since the revitalization of his career, Fraser has earned acting nods for the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, and, past month, helium took location the rubric of Best Actor astatine the 2023 Critics Choice Awards.

While Fraser said he's "grateful" for the recognition, helium besides attributes his accomplishments to "a steadfast dose of dumb luck."

As helium quipped to Geist, who has besides sat down with Oscar contenders like Austin Butler and Michelle Yeoh for his Sunday TODAY series, "Never underestimate the powerfulness of dumb luck."

Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist airs connected NBC astatine 8 a.m. ET.

(E! and NBC are some portion of the NBCUniversal family.)