Brendan Fraser relishes ‘role of a lifetime’

Brendan Fraser has spent a lifetime facing one particularly biting critic: himself.

The Oscar winner acknowledges he still struggles with self-confidence.

“I always have the feeling of not being good enough,” the 57-year-old actor says. “Believe me, no one can be harder on me than me.

“The flip side is something that Lorne Michaels told me years ago. He said, ‘Confidence is the key to everything.’”

Fraser’s latest film is a tender drama directed and co-written by Japanese filmmaker Hikari. Not so coincidentally, it explores what it means to belong to oneself and to others.

In “Rental Family,” now in theaters, Fraser stars as Phillip Vanderploeg, a sweet but struggling performer lost in Tokyo and doing odd jobs. He finds work with the Rental Family Agency, where actors are booked to play relatives, audience members and companions.

But soft-hearted Phillip gets too involved with his clients, including a single mother who wants her young daughter to see her absentee dad.

“I think we need to see this movie now more than ever. It’s about connection and vulnerability,” Fraser says. “The story also asks: What is family? Is it the family we find, and not necessarily the one we’re born into? With this movie, I was perplexed, mystified and invigorated in all the best ways possible.”

The actor will soon explore another family as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in “Pressure,” a drama about the D-Day invasion.

When he’s not working, Fraser lives in Bedford, New York, on a horse farm with his sons, Griffin, 23, Holden, 21, and Leland, 19.

His good life advice:

Something different

“Rental Family” came to Fraser after his well-deserved best actor Oscar win for 2022’s “The Whale.” Director Hikari says casting him was a no-brainer. “What’s not to love about this guy, right?” she says. “When he started talking, I said, ‘I found my Phillip.’ Fraser says he felt an immediate connection, too. “I wanted something that hadn’t been made into oblivion. At this stage of life, I only want to be in projects I care about and that have something to say. I call them unicorn projects,” he says. “The idea of renting family in Japan was so unique — and a real thing that has been around since the 1980s. … It addresses loneliness, which is a topic that needs to be discussed, because we need each other.”

Cool experience

One of the perks of the film, he says, was the four months he spent in Japan during the shoot. “I did some tutoring. I’m not a very good student, but I’m an excellent mimic.” He learned the language, plus got to do something extra: wear a kimono. “I felt important in that outfit as if I was suddenly a really cool dude,” he adds.

Still learning

“At the tender age of 57, I feel like I’m finally coming into my own,” says Fraser, who credits his children for being his biggest teachers. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without my kids and the trial and error over the years of raising them. My sons have taught me how to love more and more every day.”

Find your passion

Fraser’s father, a journalist who worked as a Canadian foreign service officer, moved the family to California, Washington state, Ottawa and Ontario. “We traveled every three or four years and started in a new place because my father worked for Tourism Canada,” Fraser says. “I lived in Holland for a period of time, and we would take family holidays to London, where I saw plays. I’ll never forget how my parents would buy a ticket to just get me out of their hair for a few hours. But how I loved having that ticket in my hand. Plays were like my toy box. I loved the idea of telling stories. I wanted to jump up on that stage. I still do.”

Kids first

Fraser says he navigated a divorce from fellow actor Afton Smith and raised his three young sons by focusing on the positive. “It helps to have a great relationship with your partner,” he says. “The goal is to always put the kids first. Kids factor into every decision. They raise the stakes, so something that may seem garden variety takes on much more gravity.”

Fear works

“I remember being called in to do tests in Hollywood. I thought they were having me take the SATs, and it wouldn’t be multiple guess. It actually was a screen test at Paramount for the movie ‘School Ties,’” he says. “I went to the studio scared to death, but you can let fear work for you. I was good and righteously terrified, bared my soul and hoped for the best. That is the life of an actor.”

Career resurgence

After a bit of a lull, some folks have referred to the actor’s past few years as “The Bren-aissiance.” “I know it’s a term of endearment. I get it. I appreciate all the support,” he says.

‘You’ve got this’

At his age, Fraser says, he has learned a few things. “For all the times, you doubted yourself, there is the flip side,” he says. “For all the times you’ve said, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing’ or ‘I’m not good at this’ — the answer is you are good enough. You are better than good enough. You’ve got it. You’ve got this. This is your role of a lifetime.”