Brendan Fraser on Movie-Star Comeback: 'I'm Waiting for Someone' to 'Tell Me That the Jig Is Up'

"I know I'm doing what I love. I'm really happy to be able to do that," the actor said

Brendan Fraser is reflecting on the emotional standing ovation he got when The Whale debuted in September at the Venice Film Festival.

During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers Wednesday, the actor, 54, opened up about the movie and the audience reactions to it.

"I just broke out crying. That solved all the problems," Fraser said of the reportedly six-minute standing ovation. "I think it depends on who's holding the stopwatch to tell you the truth," Fraser joked in reference to the varying reports of how many minutes of applause. He received a similar response in October at the London Film Festival.

I feel like I'm still waiting for someone to walk in and tell me that the jig is up, you know," he added.

Delving more into the film, Fraser said he "felt that there was a real story to be told about someone who's locked behind closed doors," explaining what drew him to playing the character.

 Brendan Fraser Gets Emotional During Standing Ovation for The Whale in London.

I absolutely felt, you know, 'sign me up,' " he said of the Darren Aronofsky–directed film, going on to mention his love for prosthetics that enabled him to play the character: "I love the craft of filmmaking and all the elements that go into it."

Fraser's role in the movie details the life of a reclusive professor who is struggling to reconnect with his estranged teen daughter, played by Sadie Sink.

At the top of the show, host Seth Meyers got up and walked over to Fraser, giving him a hug and handshake amid loud cheers from the audience. Meyers recalled collaborating with Fraser in 2008 on Journey to the Center of the Earth, saying he was "incredibly gracious and kind" and complimented his "deserved" achievements since.

Following The Whale's Venice Film Festival screening in September, actor Nick Kroll gushed to Meyers on a Late Night appearance that Fraser was simply amazing in the film. He said, "This is his big comeback. The movie finishes, he gets an eight-minute standing ovation. He's crying. You can feel him being like 'I'm back, baby. It's the Oscars. Here we come.' "

Fraser earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a drama. The Oscar nominations will be announced later this month.

"I know I'm doing what I love," Fraser told Meyers Thursday. "I'm really happy to be able to do that.

The Whale is now in theaters.