Brendan Fraser’s Sons Give Rare Interview About Their Dad at the Oscars

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Brendan Fraser nabbed his first Academy Award for best actor in a lead role for The Whale last night. But while he celebrated this achievement, his sons helped keep him grounded. Holden Fraser, 18, and Leland Fraser, 16, whom he shares with ex Afton Smith (along with son Griffin Fraser, 20), attended the Oscars and couldn’t help teasing their old man a little bit.

In a rare champagne-carpet interview before the event, Holden and Fraser told Entertainment Tonight about their dad’s corny jokes. “At the end of a conversation, we’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, right.’ And he’ll say, ‘Left,'” Holden told the outlet. Leland added, “I think my personal favorite has always been when we’re kids and I’d say, I don’t like broccoli,’ and he’s say, ‘Broccoli loves you.'”

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BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Brendan Fraser, Holden Fletcher Fraser and Leland Francis Fraser attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Brendan Fraser, Holden Fletcher Fraser and Leland Francis Fraser attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)

His kids might think Fraser’s sense of humor is uncool — in fact, Holden told ET that his “dad jokes still don’t hit” — but they make him even more endearing to us. At the end of the day, Fraser is just as silly as any dad, and we love him for it. Also, that broccoli joke? Totally going to use that with my kids!

Holden also told ET that he thinks his dad is “pretty cool” despite the jokes. “I’ll give him that he’s pretty cool,” he said. We think so too.

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“I mean, he’s our old man, and he’s always been cool,” Leland confirmed. “But we’re always gonna rag on him at least a little.”

Fraser looked dapper at the event, wearing a navy Giorgio Armani Made to Measure tuxedo, according to ET. Leland was dressed in leather tux with a low-cut black shirt, and Holden was wearing a brown turtleneck underneath a black jacket with flared brown pants. Fraser’s girlfriend Jeanne Moore also attended the event, wearing a stunning blue off-the-shoulder gown with a tulle skirt.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Jeanne Moore, Brendan Fraser, Leland Fraser and Holden Fraser attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Jeanne Moore, Brendan Fraser, Leland Fraser and Holden Fraser attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images)

When Fraser found out that he got the Oscar nom, he told Extra that he was “astonished” because his sons surprised him with cake and balloons. “They sneaked into the house, they had a plan,” he said. “That and the feeling that sharing that moment with my loved ones is now a core memory of mine.”

His youngest sons have been supportive of their dad lately, attending the red-carpet event for The Whaleback in Nov. 2022. The Mummy star told Entertainment Tonight a month later: “I have kids now, and that really warrants how I make decisions, what I’m going to do — and, whatever it is that I’m doing, how I feel about what I’m doing. Somehow stakes get raised to such a point that something that may seem garden variety or ‘normal’ takes on much more gravity.”

That may be true for the big things, but for the little things — like eating veggies — kids bring a certain lightheartedness to life. The trick is to balance both, and Fraser does phenomenally at it!

Before you go, check out these celebrity dads who paused their careers to stay at home with their babies.

Launch Gallery: Brendan Fraser, Tom Cruise, & More Nominees Who Skipped the 2023 Golden Globes

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