Rental Family director Hikari is revealing how she knew actor Brendan Fraser was her perfect leading man.
“I’ve seen all his movies,” Hikari told Us Weekly exclusively at the Los Angeles premiere of Rental Family. “He’s so incredible in everything he does. When I saw him and how vulnerable he was and how deep he was; there’s so much depth in these performances.”
Rental Family follows an American actor (Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he begins working for a Japanese rental family agency which hires actors to play the roles of family and friends for clients. The Whale star appears in the film alongside Mari Yamamoto, who plays an employee of the rental family agency, and Shōgun actor Takehiro Hira, who stars as the owner of the agency.
“The love I received just by watching him… he was on this giant screen, being who he is, you know, as Brendan,” the director said. “Doing the Q&A [after the screening], when I saw him and how caring he was, my heart was just stolen at that moment.”
Yamamoto, 39, also gushed about her costar, telling Us that she shared a special moment with Fraser, 56, and his family. The cast celebrated a birthday together in Tokyo, which was a “beautiful bonding experience,” according to Yamamoto.
“Brendan’s family was visiting. One of his sons had a birthday in Tokyo so we all celebrated together,” the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters actress shared. “We all went to the digital art museum after hours. There was nobody [there], just us. That was such a beautiful bonding experience because you’re in this beautiful space. It’s such a tranquil space and appreciating [the] beauty of something together like that. It was like a really gorgeous moment.”
Fraser share sons Griffin, born in 2002, Holland, born in 2004, and Leland, born in 2006, with ex-wife Afton Smith.
For Fraser, Rental Family was a reminder that all people need community and love. The George of the Jungle actor, who is receiving Oscar buzz for his performance, told E! News that the film explores people’s need to “feel fulfilled” within their families.
“People genuinely need to feel fulfilled,” he shared. “If we’re not fulfilled in that way that we’re comforted by having that sense of belonging that comes with family — whether that’s your blood family, your found family — it can do some harm to a whole demographic of people.”
“I’m glad that this film is resonating with people,” he continued. “People feel like it does give them a sense of accomplishment by looking within to find the need to be fulfilled when you may have thought that you weren’t enough all along. As it turns out, you really were.”
Fraser’s observation of how the film is resonating with its audience aligns with the reason why Hikari set out to make the film in the first place.
“I really wanted to bridge the gap between people,” she told Us. “This feels like there’s a lot of [isolation]. We’re in the epidemic of loneliness. Just bring people together so that people don’t feel like they’re alone. And it just really [lets] them know that this, it’s really up to us. We just have to make the first step to make the connection and also be there for your friends, because that’s also very important.”
Rental Family will arrive in theaters on Friday, November 21.
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