Brendan Fraser is Now That Much Closer to Winning an Oscar for The Whale

The actor, who has been showered with praise for his role in "The Whale," took home the trophy for Best Actor.

And Fraser had some real competition in a talent heavy category with Austin Butler ("Elvis") and Colin Farrell ("The Banshees of Inisherin") -- both of whom won Golden Globes last week. Other actors in the mix were Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, and Paul Mescal.

Fraser won wide acclaim for his turn as Charlie in the Darren Aronofsky-led project and got early awards buzz after debuting at the Venice Film Festival.

"It was Herman Melville who once wrote that there are only five critics in America – the rest are asleep," Fraser said in his acceptance speech Sunday night. "I don't know what it means, either, but I'm sure glad you woke up for me."

"If you – like a guy like Charlie, who I played in this movie – in any way, struggle with obesity, or 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."

The film's use of a suit to increase Fraser's size has come under fire; both the actor and his director, Aronofsky, previously addressed some of those concerns.