Washington, Nov. 22 -- Three years after his Oscar-winning performance in The Whale, Brendan Fraser has embraced a deeply personal new project in Tokyo. In Hikari's Rental Family, Fraser portrays Philip, an American actor adrift in Japan who finds purpose and human connection by serving as a surrogate family member to those struggling with loneliness, according to Variety.

Speaking on the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Fraser noted the film's unique storytelling approach. "This film really doesn't have a declared villain," he said, highlighting the story's focus on social and personal obstacles rather than traditional conflict. The project appealed to Fraser for both practical and emotional reasons. "Automatically, selfishly, I thought,...