Brendan Fraser just put up a new outstanding talent on display with his next movie, Rental Family: Flexing his language skills by speaking Japanese without even learning it. Literally!
Turns out, this was possible thanks to his “excellent” mimicking chops, considering how even the actor himself admitted that he’s not really “a very good student.” During a post-screening Q&A session on Saturday, September 6, when his upcoming flick had its world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival, he opened up about the same, saying (via PEOPLE),
[I’m] not a very good student, but I’m an excellent mimic. So what you, of course, didn’t see through the magic of editing, people were feeding me lines as I was making them sound as if they were my own.
Fortunately for him, while he didn’t have to learn the language, Fraser became “really good” at mimicking it “really fast.” Then there were his Japanese castmates, whom he praised while sharing how they “took such good care of me” while they were filming in Japan.
How Brendan Fraser Dealt With the Communication Barriers With Japanese
Although it sounds easy, there were, of course, communication barriers as well while he was working on Rental Family, since Brendan Fraser didn’t learn the language entirely.
But despite that, he managed to approach the challenges of these barriers pretty smartly: By learning what the core fundamentals taught him. As he went on to explain, “the fundamentals
It doesn’t matter what you’re saying verbally — it’s the intention behind it, and we should be able to communicate with one another no matter what languages we speak.
That’s not necessarily ‘easy’ to do, for sure. But ‘trying’ eventually gets one there, making everything a bit easier, a bit better. The George of the Jungle star went on to say about the lesson he took away from it:
‘I think that if we all just try, we’re gonna understand each other a little bit better.’ That’s what I took away from it, and my gratitude and love to all my fellow cast members.
Well, as heartwarming as that is, it is truly iconic to know that Fraser even managed to nail something like this after his Oscar-winning performance in The Whale. Sounds like he has another Academy Award on the way, perhaps?!
What Is Rental Family All About?
Directed by Hikari and set to release later this year in November, Rental Family takes place in Tokyo and “follows an American actor (Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese ‘rental family’ agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers,” per the official synopsis of the same.
The synopsis continues,
As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.
While Fraser plays the actor Philip Vandarploeug, other cast joining him include Takehiro Hira as Shinji, the Rental Family agency owner; Mari Yamamoto as Aiko, an employee of the agency; Shannon Mahina Gorman as Mia Kawasaki, a young girl in need of a father figure; Akira Emoto as Kikuo Hasegawa, a client of the agency and retired actor; and Shino Shinozaki as Mia’s mother, a client of the agency.
Rental Family – Key Details:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Movie Title | Rental Family |
| Lead Actor | Brendan Fraser |
| Director | Hikari |
| World Premiere | Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), September 6, 2025 |
| Release Date | November 21, 2025 |
| Main Plot | An American actor in Tokyo finds purpose by working at a Japanese “rental family” agency, blurring lines between performance and reality. |
| Brendan Fraser’s Role | Philip Vandarploeug |
| Other Cast Members | Takehiro Hira (Shinji, agency owner), Mari Yamamoto (Aiko), Shannon Mahina Gorman (Mia Kawasaki), Akira Emoto (Kikuo Hasegawa), Shino Shinozaki (Mia’s mother) |
So far, this comedy-drama sounds like something new and epic. And looking at how Brendan Fraser nailed his Japanese for the same, we simply can’t wait any longer to finally watch the film! Don’t you agree?
Rental Family hits the screens on November 21, 2025.
