Brendan Fraser gave a special shout out to his autistic son Griffin as he won a Best Actor gong for The Whale at the Oscars on Sunday night.
The star, 53, had arrived with his two other sons, Holden, 18, and Leland, 16, in tow but wanted to make sure his eldest boy was acknowledged.
Winning his gong, he said: 'Griffin, love you buddy,' to rapturous applause.
Brendan Fraser has previously spoken about his son Griffin, who is autistic and obese, and said he 'understands' what it is like to be close to someone who lives with obesity.
The actor plays an overweight father in The Whale and he reflected on living with his own son Griffin as he discussed the role, after attending an NYC screening of film with his youngest sons.
Love: Brendan Fraser gave a special shout out to his autistic son Griffin, 20, as he won Best Actor gong for The Whale at Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in LA on Sunday night
Winning his gong, he said: 'Griffin, love you buddy,' to rapturous applause - his son pictured back in 2017
Opening up: The actor, 53, plays an overweight father in The Whale (pictured) and he reflected on living with his own son as he discussed the role
He told Interview Magazine: 'I have three kids of my own, my oldest son Griffin has special needs - he's autistic.
'He just turned 20, he's a big kid, he's six foot five, he's got big hands and feet, a big body. I understand intimately what it is to be close to a person who lives with obesity. '
Brendan his three sons with his ex-wife Afton Smith, who he divorced in 2007 after nine years of marriage.
The father-of-three went on to say that Griffin is the 'happiest person' in his life, explaining that he doesn't know what 'cynicism' is because of his autism.
He said: 'And because of the beauty of his spectrum - call it a disorder if you will, I disagree with you - he knows nothing of irony.
'He doesn't know what cynicism is. You can't insult him. He can't insult you. He's the happiest person and is, in my life and many others', also the manifestation of love.
'Being with my kids and their mom and our family has given me such love that if ever I needed to hold something of value up to try and translate that to what was important to Charlie [character in The Whale], I didn’t have to look far.'
In psychological drama The Whale, Brendan underwent a physical transformation to play an overweight man confined to a wheelchair, who is trying to reconnect with his daughter (Sadie Sink).
Family is everything: The star, 53, had arrived with his two other sons, Holden, 18, (right) and Leland, 16, in tow but wanted to make sure his eldest boy was acknowledged
Family: Brendan (pictured with his Griffin and Holden and and his ex-wife) and Afton divorced in 2007 after nine years of marriage
Brendan and Jeanne: He is now in a long-term relationship with makeup artist Jeanne Moore (pictured together in November)
To play English teacher Charlie, who weighs 600 pounds, he had to wear prosthetics and spend four hours every day having the heavy 300-pound suit fitted.
Brendan described the role as the 'hardest thing' he's ever done but said he was able to understand what was important to Charlie because of the love he has for his own children.
Brendan is now in a relationship with his longtime partner, makeup artist Jeanne Moore.
The Whale follows Brendan's character Charlie as he tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter Ellie (Sadie) after leaving her and her mother years earlier for another man.
The guilt over his relationship with the man - who would later die - leads Charlie to overeat and get to his current weight of 600 pounds.
Its official synopsis reads: 'A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.'
The movie is based on the off-Broadway play of the same name, written by Samuel D. Hunter, who came on board as the screenwriter for the film.
Darren Aronofsky, known for helming films such as The Wrestler (2008), Mother! (2017) and Black Swan (2010), which earned him an Academy Award nomination, first saw the play in 2012 and asked the writer to work on a screenplay.
The Whale marks Brendan's first Hollywood project in almost ten years and his first lead role in a movie since straight-to-DVD thriller Breakout in 2013.
He shot to stardom when he was cast in children's favourite film franchises George of the Jungle and The Mummy.
Oscars 2023: Full list of 95th Academy Awards winners
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Banshees of Inisherin
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once - WINNER
The Fabelmans
TÁR
Top Gun: Maverick
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking
Winning EVERYTHING: Everything Everywhere All At Once earned seven including coveted Best Picture
Best Director
Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once - WINNERS
Steven Spielberg - The Fabelmans
Todd Field - TÁR
Ruben Östlund - Triangle of Sadness
Best Actor
Austin Butler - Elvis
Colin Farrell - The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser - The Whale - WINNER
Paul Mescal -Aftersun
Bill Nighy - Living
Comeback king: Brendan Fraser won Best Actor for his performance in The Whale
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - TÁR
Ana de Armas - Blonde
Andrea Riseborough -To Leslie
Michelle Williams - The Fabelmans
Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once - WINNER
Best Supporting Actor
Brendan Gleeson - The Banshees of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry - Causeway
Judd Hirsch - The Fabelmans
Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once - WINNER
Best Supporting Actress
Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau - The Whale
Kerry Condon - The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once - WINNER
Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell - All Quiet on the Western Front
Rian Johnson - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Kazuo Ishiguro - Living
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie, story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks - Top Gun: Maverick
Sarah Polley - Women Talking - WINNER
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Martin McDonagh - The Banshees of Inisherin
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once - WINNER
Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner - The Fabelmans
Todd Field - TÁR
Ruben Östlund - Triangle of Sadness
Best Animated Feature Film
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio -WINNER
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red
Quite the imagination: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio won Best Animated Feature Film
Best International Feature Film
All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Argentina, 1985
Close
EO
The Quiet Girl
Best Documentary Feature
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Fire of Love
A House Made of Splinters
Navalny - WINNER
Best Film Editing
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen, The Banshees of Inisherin
Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, Elvis
Paul Rogers, Everything Everywhere All at Once - WINNER
Monika Willi, TÁR
Eddie Hamilton, Top Gun: Maverick
Best Cinematography
James Friend - All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Darius Khondji - Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Mandy Walker - Elvis
Roger Deakins - Empire of Light
Florian Hoffmeister - TÁR
Best Costume Design
Mary Zophres - Babylon
Ruth E. Carter - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - WINNER
Catherine Martin - Elvis
Shirley Kurata - Everything Everywhere All at Once
Jenny Beavan - Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Iconic: Ruth E. Carter won Best Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová - All Quiet on the Western Front
Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, and Mike Fontaine - The Batman
Camille Friend and Joel Harlow - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, and Aldo Signoretti - Elvis
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Anne Marie Bradley - The Whale - WINNER
Best Production Design
Christian M. Goldbeck and Ernestine Hipper - All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, and Vanessa Cole - Avatar: The Way of Water
Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino - Babylon
Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, and Bev Dunn - Elvis
Rick Carter and Karen O'Hara - The Fabelmans
Best Music (Original Song)
"Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman, music and lyrics by Dianne Warren
"Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick, music and lyrics by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
"Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, music and lyrics by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, and Ludwig Goransson
"Naatu Naatu" from RRR, music by M.M. Keeravaani, lyrics by Chandrabose - WINNER
"This Is a Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once, music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski, lyrics by Ryan Lott
Dynamic duo: M.M. Keeravaani (left) and Chandrabose won Best Music (Original Song) for Naatu Naatu from RRR
Best Music (Original Score)
Volker Bertelmann - All Quiet on the Western Front - WINNER
Justin Hurwitz - Babylon
Carter Burwell - The Banshees of Inisherin
Son Lux - Everything Everywhere All at Once
John Williams - The Fabelmans
Best Sound
Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel, and Stefan Korte - All Quiet on the Western Front
Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, and Michael Hedges - Avatar: The Way of Water
Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, and Andy Nelson - The Batman
David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, and Michael Keller - Elvis
Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, and Mark Taylor - Top Gun: Maverick - WINNER
Flying: The Tom Cruise led sequel Top Gun: Maverick won the Academy Award for Best Sound on Sunday during a ceremony which the 60-year-old leading man skipped
Best Visual Effects
Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank, and Kamil Jafar - All Quiet on the Western Front
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett - Avatar: The Way of Water - WINNER
Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands, and Dominic Tuohy - The Batman
Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White, and Dan Sudick - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson, and Scott R. Fisher - Top Gun: Maverick
Best Animated Short Film
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse - WINNER
The Flying Sailor
Ice Merchants
My Year of Dicks
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake, and I Think I Believe It
Best Live Action Short Film
An Irish Goodbye - WINNER
Ivalu
Le Pupille
Night Ride
The Red Suitcase
Best Documentary Short
The Elephant Whisperers - WINNER
Haulout
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Stranger at the Gate
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