Hi everyone and thank you for joining us for the 481st episode of the Hollywood Reporters

Awards Chatter Podcast, I'm the host Scott Feinberg, and for those of you tuning in, we

are recording this episode in front of an audience of students at Chapman University,

where I'm a trustee professor at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

My guest today is widely admired and much beloved actor, whose big screen work now spans

30 plus years.

The Los Angeles Times once asserted, quote, he exudes a masculine and earnest accessibility,

a throwback charm that heartens to an earlier Hollywood era and brings to mind names like

Flynn and Gabel, close quote.

While GQ opined quote, he exudes a kind of solid decency and equanimity that makes

the implausible plausible.

His presence in a scene makes you believe it, close quote.

All of this made him into what the Guardian described in 2008 as quote, one of the most

bankable and audience-friendly stars in the industry, close quote.

Shortly thereafter though, he began to fade from the public eye, but never from the

hearts and minds of filmgoers and filmmakers, many of whom grew up with him and were vocal

about how much they missed him and yearned for his return.

That, of course, has finally happened in a major way via Darren Aronofsky's The Whale,

for which this actor is now at the age of 54, a critics choice and sag-award winner,

and a Gotham and BAFTA award nominee, and is also, for the first time in his career,

up for an Academy Award.

In short, welcome to the Brenna Sons.

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