When you’re little, playing make-believe is easy. As you get older, pretending to be someone you’re not is weird and you may need help. Brendan Fraser, on the other hand, does it for a living and he’s pretty good at it, especially in his new movie “Rental Family.” He’s telling Deco all about it.
There are no small roles, but there are unusual gigs and unexpected circumstances.
Brendan Fraser is playing the part in the new dramedy “Rental Family.”
He portrays a struggling actor living in Japan, who finds work at an agency that hires real life stand-ins.
The roles may be fake, but Brendan says the genuine connections and purpose his character finds along the way are very real.
Brendan Fraser: “A pretty basic rule for any performer is that as long as you believe what you’re doing, your audience will too. And sometimes, there’s no acting required.”
“Rental Family” shows the actor playing many different parts, depending on what the clients are looking for. But as the lines between performance and reality blur, something universal emerges.
Brendan Fraser: “It’s a love letter to loneliness. It’s addressed to Tokyo, but it could be anywhere in the world. It could be in Miami. It’s very likely it is. It’s possible to feel secluded in a very busy place. And it’s important to reach out and ask for help.”
Because sometimes, people can be their own worst enemies, and the battles they fight are internal.
Brendan Fraser: “There’s no villain in this movie, for instance, apart from our own human apathy if you think about it. You gonna do something about this or not? That’s the obstacle.”
“Rental Family” is in theaters now and the time of year that coincides with the release isn’t lost on Brendan.
So if you’re feeling a little stressed this holiday season, he says life can imitate art.
Brendan Fraser: “If your own family is driving you up the wall, you can come and rent one with me for a couple of hours in Tokyo. I promise you, you’ll walk away feeling a little bit different, in a better mood, than you were when you walked in the door.”