Brendan Fraser explores the heart of connection and isolation in the new film “Rental Family”, a tender story of how we define family in an increasingly lonely world. Filmed in Tokyo, Fraser immersed himself in the culture, learning Japanese and navigating the city as his character, an expat who becomes entwined in the lives of those seeking surrogate companionship. In a conversation with Patrick Beatty, Fraser reflects on the film’s central theme of found family, the epidemic of urban loneliness, and the meaningful impact of fleeting but intentional human connections.
Patrick B: Brendan, this is definitely a highlight of my career, and what an incredible film to be able to talk to you about. Your performance is fantastic. I was looking through the production notes and saw just how much you immersed yourself in the story by going to Japan, learning the language, and using a translator app to connect with people. My first question is, was learning to speak differently part of learning to feel differently for this role?
Brendan Fraser: Yes. Phillip is an expat living in Tokyo. He’s been there for some seven years or so. So he has certainly picked up the language. I needed to sit down with the tutor, which I did for a number of weeks before we began. I didn’t retain all of it, but thankfully, once I did make it to Tokyo, there were so many people to help out. But I learned the role as a role, and also, you know, was mindful that it is a Japanese film with Japanese actors, location sets, craft everything, and my job among them was to learn as much Japanese as I could. Speak It convincingly as an expat would in Tokyo, not a native speaker, but able to communicate. I found myself able to, by the time we left, understand the basic structure of basic conversations. And it gave me a real shot of confidence that “things. “Hey, I could do this,” you know? I had a terrific time. You only need to show up there, really, to understand what you need to do.
Patrick B: You also said that the family is who we include rather than who we are assigned to. How was your journey? Both in life and in Hollywood reflected that idea.
Brendan Fraser: The theme of “found family” is a strong one in “Rental Family.” The epidemic of loneliness that exists in major cities, and anywhere in the world, really. I mean, this film is a love letter to loneliness. It’s addressed to Tokyo, but it could be anywhere. Even in a place like a real metropolitan bee hive of activity. It’s possible to feel disconnected, in solitude. To have a need to have family fulfilled. And you think that it seems counterintuitive in a way. But I can speak truthfully that there is an epidemic of loneliness. There are real-world health consequences, mental health consequences, and demographic reasons that need to be improved on.
It seems a simple enough thing, you know? Spending time with one another, even if it’s only for a short while, even if it’s under the guise of a certain surrogacy to stand in as a boyfriend, girlfriend, grandfather, mother, groom, or father. For a client who lacks that connection, it does serve a purpose. The film is based on, premise. It is a business model that’s been in place since the 1980s, actually, and I think that to this day, I think there’s some 300 probably more now, plus agencies that cater to these clients.
Catch the full interview with Brendan Fraser and see Patrick Beatty’s picks for this weekend’s must-watch films on “See It or Skip It”, streaming now on abc4.com and the News4Utah app. Watch “Rental Family” in theaters this weekend.
See It or Skip It 