Brendan Fraser Says Streaming Forces Actors to ‘Up Your Game’ and Choose Films ‘More Carefully’ Because Viewers Can Just Hit Skip: ‘I Welcome That Challenge’

Brendan Fraser is making the rounds to promote his new film, the theatrically-bound “Rental Family,” which is set to be released by Searchlight Pictures on Nov. 21. During an interview at Variety‘s TIFF studio alongside the film’s director and co-writer, Hikari, the actor admitted that the rise of streaming has lit an extra fire under him to choose winning projects.

“Audiences are more focused and have the option to skip to the next if they wish,” he said. “I welcome that as a challenge. It means you have to up your game and choose more carefully, be better.”

Fraser said that “Rental Family,” which has its world premiere at TIFF on Sept. 6, was an easy choice because it was so different from any other projects out there. The actor plays Philip, a working actor in Japan who soon takes work as a professional surrogate to help people who are grieving.