He was one of the biggest rising stars of the
90s and 00s, but then mysteriously disappeared from Hollywood screens. The public remembered
him as a performer of carefree comedic roles, while his real life was full of dramas.
What happened to Brendan Fraser (ˈfreɪzə)? Why did he almost stop acting in movies, and
what helped him make a triumphant comeback?
Today on the Biographer channel, we will talk
about the difficult fate of Brendan Fraser. Get comfortable and let's get started!
Childhood and youth
Brendan James Fraser was born on December 3,
1968 in Indianapolis (in·dee·uh·na·puh·luhs). He was the youngest of four sons of Peter Fraser
and Carol Mary Genereux (ʒɑ̃.ʁø). His mother was a saleswoman, and his father was a former
journalist who later worked in the diplomatic service of the Canadian Ministry of Tourism.
Because of his father's work, the family constantly moved, so young Brendan changed many
homes and schools during his childhood, which made him often start over and rethink himself in new
places. The Frasers traveled around the USA, also lived in Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Being new among children is always difficult, and Brendan experienced it to the fullest.
At the age of 13, he got into a new school, where newcomers were subjected to cruel pranks,
which were considered "initiation" in that system. He was dragged out of bed, put into the trunk
of a car and taken to a playground, where he was tied up with a pillowcase over his head.
Inset quote: "They ripped my pajama top off of me and tried to rip the bottom off, but I
kicked some guy in the head. Firecrackers were thrown at me. Horrible. The car took off and I
realized I was tied up [outside of] the local girl's school. When I got loose, I ran back to
the dormitory and, ah, the nice guys, they gave me the house tie. I got made." (Brendan Fraser)
Brendan became interested in acting in his teens. During the Christmas holidays in London, he went
to the famous West End theater. There, the boy saw the famous musical "Oliver!", which was based on
Charles Dickens' (ˈdɪkɪnz) novel “Oliver Twist”, as well as other productions, such as “Jesus
Christ Superstar” and “The Mousetrap”. What he saw captivated him, later becoming something
much more than just a childhood dream.
Inset quote: "That's how I wanted to tell the
stories that I read as a kid. I didn't know how I was going to go about doing that. I didn't
even know it was a real job, necessarily. But it was meaningful to me." (Brendan Fraser)
While living in Seattle (sɪˈætᵊl), the boy began to take part in theater productions.
In the summer, he went to the theater school “Laughing Horse Summer Theater",
which was also located in Ellensburg, Washington (ˈɛlənsbɜːɡ, ˈwɒʃɪŋtən). And
after graduating from school in 1987, Brendan entered the Cornish College of the
Arts in Seattle, where he graduated in 1990.
In college, Fraser admired the
acting of British classicist Ian McKellen (ˈiːən [MUH] + [KEL] + [UHN]),
studying video recordings of his Shakespearean performances. During his studies, the young
man also worked part-time as a juggler in a department store during the holiday weekend and
simulating combat scenes in a bulletproof vest.
After college, Brendan planned to attend Southern
Methodist University in Texas for a Master of Fine Arts. But on a trip to university in his
mother's borrowed Chevrolet (ʃəvʁolɛ) Spectrum, he made a stop in Los Angeles. Fraser
happened to be in Hollywood just in time, as it was the very beginning of the
season, during which television producers prepared to launch the pilots of new shows.
Speaking about those times, Fraser recalled:
Inset quote: «Often, I would go and sit on the
beach at Will Rogers State Park in the sand, where it’s very cold and damp. I’d stare at the waves
and do that romantic thing of asking, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’». (Brendan Fraser)
And the decision was made: instead of the university, he stayed in Hollywood and started
going to auditions. And over the next 1.5 years, he got roles in several TV movies,
including “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” with Martin Sheen (ʃɪn), where he played Bobby
McLaughlin ([MUH] + [GLOK] + [LUHN]), a guy, accused of a murder he didn't commit.
His next film job was the movie “Dogfight”, in which Fraser played the
episodic role of Sailor No. 1.
Inset quote: «They gave me a sailor outfit,
along with some other guys, and we did a punch-up scene with some Marines. And I got my
Screen Actors Guild card and an extra 50 bucks for the stunt adjustment, ’cause they threw me
into a pinball machine. I think I bruised a rib, but I was like: That's okay! I'll take it. I
can do it again. If you want, I'll break it. You want me to do it again?». (Brendan Fraser)
Later, this readiness to perform dangerous stunts, risking his own health, played a bad joke
with the actor, but then it had been still a long way from that.
First successes
The first fame came to Fraser quite quickly.
In 1992, he took parts in films that made him popular. He starred in “Encino (uhn·see·now) Man”,
a comedy directed by Les Mayfield (meɪfiːld), where he played a caveman who came from the
Ice Age into the modern world. About this role, Brendan jokingly said that during the
audition, he depicted him fighting a plant.
All jokes aside, he really impressed the film
creators with how well he managed to portray a person who found himself in new, completely
incomprehensible and alien conditions. And he did it without saying a word! Therefore, he
was cast without hesitation, having left Ben Stiller (ˈstɪlə) without that part. But Fraser
did not want to take on this role, because at that time he was auditioning for “School Ties” -
for a serious, dramatic role, which was much more interesting for him than playing in a comedy.
Inset quote: «One phone call that came through my agent’s office was, ‘Listen, I heard he’s
testing for School Ties. Tell him we’ll offer him the part of the caveman if he doesn’t.’ But I
knew where my priorities lay, and I wanted to do School Ties a great deal». (Brendan Fraser)
But the producers were persistent and were persuading Fraser for a long time, not wanting
to look for someone else. And, in the end, he agreed. And he took his training seriously
to play his character as well as possible.
Critics did not like the film, but it turned out
to be a favorite among the audience: for example, on CinemaScore it was rated A. The audience's love
was demonstrated even better by the box office: the film earned almost 41 million dollars
against a budget of only 7 million.
But, despite this success, no wonder
Brendan was so resistant to playing Link, because it was after this role that he began to
be offered comedic characters of a similar type, which were not too attractive for the actor.
He was longing for something more serious, such as the role of David Greene (ɡriːn) in the
dramatic film “School Ties”, directed by Robert Mandel (ˈmandəl), in which he did get the part.
Inset quote: "They hired me, but I couldn't believe it. I was constantly expecting someone to
walk up to me and hand me a dish towel and say, 'Get back in the kitchen, Fraser.' I hope
I never lose that." (Brendan Fraser)
Matt Damon (deɪmən) and Ben Affleck (æflək),
who were still little known at the time, became Brendan's partners on the set.
The movie was about a Jew who entered a prestigious school with anti-Semitic attitudes.
Speaking about this job, Fraser mentioned that the years he spent at a boarding school came in handy
for it. He was unable to fit into a world where rivalry between the school's various dormitories
was only encouraged, making the students look like gangs of gangsters in suits and ties.
Inset quote: «I had to do this project because it would help exorcise some of the ghosts
that lingered from boarding school. And my memories were rekindled when I was on location
in those hallowed halls with plaques all over the place and those well-dressed, good-looking
men walking around who were supposed to be the future of the world. Boarding school is creepy
and seductive all at the same time. I never felt that I had a grip on it. But this role gave me
another crack at it, and I got the opportunity to re-examine my past». (Brandan Fraser)
The film failed at the box office, grossing less than $15 million against a budget of $18 million,
and received mixed reviews from critics. But the well-known critic Roger Ebert (‘ɛbət) spoke
very warmly about Fraser's performance, noting that he was the driving force of the movie.
Such a rapid rise at the very beginning of his career opened up new opportunities for Fraser,
but we can’t say that he immediately managed to take advantage of it. After a successful start,
the actor starred in not so successful comedies such as “Twenty Bucks”, “Younger and Younger”,
“With Honors”, “Airheads”, and “The Scout”.
After the great success of “Encino Man”, such a
bias towards comedy roles seemed quite logical, but could this choice be considered a good one?
After all, for a long time it did not bring any dividends to the actor. And he preferred
to receive more serious roles outside the boundaries of the already existing image.
The 1995 film “The Passion of Darkly Noon'' by director Philip Ridley (rid·lee) stood out
from this series. Unlike the previous films, this was a thriller in which Fraser played the
role of Darkly Noon, a young man raised from birth in an ultra-conservative Christian sect.
The picture received mixed reviews from critics, but some of them praised Fraser positively. Over
time, the film gained recognition and even made it to the top ten most underrated films in
2014, according to The Daily Telegraph.
During the same period, Brendan met his future
wife, Afton Smith (smɪθ). It happened during the celebration of the Independence Day of the United
States, July 4, 1993, at a party organized by Winona Ryder (ˈraɪdə). The couple got married
5 years later, in 1998. They had three sons.
Afton Smith was also an actress, playing
in such films as “Fried Green Tomatoes”, “Reality Bites” with the same Winona Ryder,
and in “George of the Jungle”, with Fraser.
Inset quote: «I knew I could combine my personal
and professional ambitions and have a friend to be within her». (Brandon Fraser)
Fraser continued to act: his next works were the vague melodrama “Mrs.
Winterbourne”, another comedy “Glory Daze”, in which he again crossed paths with Ben
Affleck and Matt Damon in a supporting role, and the drama “The Twilight of the Golds”.
Success finally returned to the actor in 1997, when another comedy with his participation:
“George of the Jungle” was released. The film directed by Sam Weisman (w-AY-s-m-uh-n) was
based on the 1967 cartoon of the same name and was created as a parody of Tarzan. In it,
Fraser played the main role: George, a man who grew up in the jungle and was raised by monkeys.
For this movie, Brendan had to work hard in the gym to create a muscular body. After all, his
character was wearing only a bandage on his hips. Besides working in the gym, the actor had
to go on a strict diet with a minimum amount of carbohydrates, which even led to memory problems.
Inset quote: «I would drive home after work and stop to get something to eat. I needed
some cash one day, and I went to the ATM, and I couldn’t remember my PIN number because
my brain was misfiring. Banging on the thing. I didn’t eat that night». (Brendan Fraser)
Another problem was the fact that Fraser performed the stunts in this film
by himself. During one of them, when the actor had to jump from
a big height, he was injured.
There were also curiosities on the set. Many
animals took part in the filming, including lions, monkeys and an elephant. And Brendan's partner
in some scenes was a little monkey Mr. Binks, who caused many problems due to its
difficult temper. In one of the scenes, it was supposed to whisper something in the
ear of Fraser's character, but as a result, everything turned into complete madness.
Another hilarious situation occurred during the filming of the scene in which George rescued
a skydiver who got entangled in the piers of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay (sæn frɑːnˈsiːskəʊ
- ˈəʊklənd beɪ) Bridge. This scene used a parachutist dummy that was rigged up in the middle
of the day. And this led to a stoppage of traffic on both sides of the bridge.
Inset quote: «I had the TV on, and ‘Oprah’ got interrupted because there
was a special news report with helicopters saying a parachute is dangling on the bridge.
And I’m going — wait a minute, I’m looking at the helicopters and TV — somebody didn’t pull
a permit, somebody’s going to get in trouble with the mayor’s office». (Brendan Fraser)
As a result, the movie did not cause much admiration among critics, although some of them
spoke favorably of the film's ability to laugh at itself. But the most important thing was
that the audience really liked it. This was reflected in a great box office success:
with a budget of 55 million dollars, it grossed almost 175 million dollars.
And what is your favorite Fraser film and why? Write in the comments! We read everything!
Trying to consolidate this success, Fraser tried himself again in a more serious project. His
next work was the drama “Gods and Monsters”, directed by Bill Condon (ˈkɒndɒn). In this
film, Brendan worked together with his old idol - Ian McKellen. It was a longtime
dream of the actor to play with him: a few years before the film shooting, in 1995,
he auditioned for the movie “Richard III”, in which McKellen was not only an actor, but also a
co-writer of the script. But Fraser failed to get into this film, although McKellen noticed him.
Inset quote: «He sent me a handwritten note saying he didn’t have a place for me,
though he could have used some of my much-needed enthusiasm, which was a very
generous thing to say». (Brendan Fraser)
And after 3 years they still played together.
“Gods and Monsters” told about the fictional last days of the life of the famous director
James Whale (weɪl). Fraser played the role of his gardener Clayton Boone (buːn).
The film was a huge success with critics, who also praised the acting very positively.
Fraser was noted as a still unrecognized, but truly outstanding actor. The film was nominated
for numerous awards, including the Academy Awards, where it was honored in three categories
and won “Best Adapted Screenplay” award.
But the film aroused almost no interest among the
audience, earning only 6.5 million dollars at the box office against a budget of 10 million.
After this film, Fraser again returned to his usual role - a person who saw the modern
world for the first time - playing in Hugh Wilson’s (ˈwɪlsᵊnz) “Blast from the Past”. In
this comedy, he played a man who grew up in an underground storage after a nuclear attack, which
left him completely unadapted to the real world. This project was again unsuccessful. With a
budget of 35 million dollars, the film only made 40 million dollars. Although now this naive
cute movie doesn't seem so bad. It is usually added to the top of Brendan's best works.
But the next work pushed Fraser to the top of fame, making him one of the symbols of
the cinema of the late 90s and early 00s.
The Mummy
The film “The Mummy”, directed by Stephen Sommers (s Uh m uh r s), was released in 1999. It
was a remake of the 1932 movie of the same name. Universal, which was involved in the filming, had
several serious box office failures before this, such as “Babe: Pig in the City”. Therefore,
they needed a hit that could save the studio.
Because of this, the company was looking for a
star actor for the main role in “The Mummy”. For example, it was offered by Tom Cruise (kruːz),
Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. But none of them was interested in this project. In the
end, the director’s choice fell on Brendan Fraser, who was quite popular, having the hit “George of
the Jungle" behind him, and he also really suited the role of Rick O'Connell (əʊ’kɔnᵊl).
Director Stephen Sommers recalled:
«My editor and producing partner, Bob
Ducsay, as soon as he read the script, he said, "This is Brendan Fraser." It made
sense. Brendan's a big, strapping guy, and he has a great sense of humor».
The filming took place in difficult conditions, in Marrakech (ma·ruh·kesh) and the Sahara
(səˈhɑːrə) desert. Constant heat threatened the film crew with dehydration, and even more
risks were created by desert inhabitants: snakes, scorpions, and spiders. Several members
of the team were even bitten, due to which they had to be airlifted to the hospital.
Inset quote: «They sent a memo out on the call sheet describing a type of snake that,
I think, it had yellow dots on it. They said, ‘If you see this kind of snake, do not
go near it. Walk — or run away. Because, at best, if it bites you, maybe they’ll
amputate your limb. Anyway, there I was, pissing down a rock, and I look down, and
there’s the yellow dot snake. I was like, ‘F—!‘ I just ran for it». (Brendan Fraser)
Not only animals and insects, but also people posed a danger. While filming in Morocco,
all members of the main cast had insurance against kidnapping. But Stephen Sommers
decided not to tell the actors about this detail until the end of filming.
Fraser was also in mortal danger when he was nearly strangled for real while
filming Rick O'Connell's execution scene.
But all these troubles were worth the result that
was obtained: “The Mummy” became a box office hit, with a budget of 80 million dollars, raising 416
million dollars. Critics rated the film mixed, but the most important thing was that
the audience really liked it. Moreover, it was even nominated for the Academy Awards
for the best sound and the British Academy Film Awards for the best special effects.
But for Fraser personally, the resounding success did not continue, because after it,
the actor had an equally resounding failure: his next comedy film, “Dudley Do-Right”, which
he made again with the director Hugh Wilson, became a bomb at the box office, collecting
only 10 million dollars with a budget of 22 million. Furthermore, the critics did not like it
at all, and the audience ratings were quite low.
The next project, released in 2000, became
much more successful from a commercial point of view. Harold Ramis' (ræmɪs) romantic comedy
“Bedazzled” fully paid for itself at the box office, earning 90 million dollars against
a budget of 40 million. But the film did not impress the critics - the ratings were mediocre.
And then there was another failure - “Monkeybone”, a black fantasy comedy from director Henry Selick
(‘sɛlɪk), was a big failure. With a very serious budget of 75 million dollars, it collected just
over 7.5 million worldwide. The presence of such famous actors as Fraser and Whoopi Goldberg
(ɡəʊldbɜːɡ) did not help the film. It also received poor reviews from critics and audiences.
By the way, in this film, Brendan, as once in Encino Man, replaced
Ben Stiller in the main role.
It was up to The Mummy to correct the situation
after this bitter failure. Its sequel, “The Mummy Returns”, was released in 2001. For the filming
of the sequel, the main actors and the director were gathered again, and a new villain was
added to the cast, the performer of the role of the Scorpion King - the now well-known
Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson (ˈʤɒnsᵊn), who was just starting his acting career at
the time and this was his first film.
And it was he, or rather, the CGI model of
his character, that caused quite a stir, becoming one of the most memorable episodes
of the entire film. Due to the fact that the special effects team was given too
little time to create The Scorpion King, it turned out to be of very poor quality,
causing a lot of ridicule among the audience.
The shooting of the same scene, in which Johnson
did not even participate, was also very funny.
The continuation of the franchise caused
much less enthusiasm from critics than the first part, but again very much liked by
the audience. With a budget of $98 million, the film grossed $435 million worldwide, becoming
the seventh highest-grossing film of 2001.
The Mummy sequel’s success was supported
by Fraser's next project: the political drama “The Quiet American”. The film directed by
Phillip Noyce (nɔɪs) was based on Graham Greene's novel of the same name and told about the events
in Vietnam (ˌvjɛtˈnɑːm) before the start of the Vietnam War. It was supposed to appear on the
screens in the fall of 2001, receiving positive reviews from the audience at previews, but after
the tragedy of September 11, it was delayed for a year. This happened due to the fact that the
film harshly criticized the US foreign policy, which could be considered unpatriotic against
the background of such tragic events.
After its release, the film was well received
by critics. Its main star was Fraser's partner, Michael Caine (keɪn), who was nominated for
all the major awards. But Brendan received very positive reviews for his acting, once again
demonstrating that his talent is much brighter and worth more than unsuccessful comedy roles.
At the same time, in 2002, Fraser had his firstborn, son Griffin Arthur. As it turned out a
little later, the boy was diagnosed with autism, which would be a great test for the family.
Inset quote: «I'm no expert on the varieties of spectrum disorders. I'm a dad, and that's what I
can talk about. My son Griffin has a verbal delay, he had a verbal delay at an early age. He got a
diagnosis, and we were thunderstruck, as I imagine many of you in the audience here can comprehend
or understand because of the surprise that came with not knowing what to do». (Brendan Fraser)
Of course, the parents had periods when they tried to "fix" the boy's condition, but over time
they still managed to adapt to his peculiarities and learned to understand his needs.
«Because of the beauty of his spectrum — call it a disorder if you will, I disagree with you — he
knows nothing of irony. He doesn’t know what cynicism is. You can't insult him. He can't
insult you. He's the happiest person and is, in my life and many others', also the
manifestation of love», Brendan said.
The eldest son’s condition taught Brendan to
understand and respect people with autism, so now, during public events, he always tries to
communicate with his fans who also have autism.
As the actor later admitted, parenthood
taught him to love more and more every day.
Later, two more sons were born in the Fraser
family - in 2004 it was Holden Fletcher, and two years later, in 2006, Leland Francis.
In the same period, one of the most terrible events in Brendan's life happened, though
he remained silent for 15 long years. In the summer of 2003, during an event organized
by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosted the Golden Globe Awards, he met
with the then president of the Association, Philip Berk (bɜːk). In the middle of the
crowded room, they exchanged greetings, and then, according to Berk, he jokingly
pinched Fraser's butt. But for the actor, everything looked completely different.
Inset quote: «His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches
me in the taint. And he starts moving it around. I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I
felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry». (Brendan Fraser)
After that, Brendan ran out of the room without saying anything to anyone. He managed to tell
this story only to his wife. The actor thought a lot about giving this publicity, but did not
dare, blaming himself for what happened. Even trying to get an apology from Berk through the
HFPA didn't make him feel any better. Especially since Berk offered only a formal apology, not
recognizing Fraser's version and emphasizing that it was a complete fabrication.
Inset quote: «I became depressed. I was blaming myself and I was miserable —
because I was saying, ‘This is nothing; this guy reached around and he copped a feel.’
That summer wore on — and I can't remember what I went on to work on next». (Brendan Fraser)
After these events, everything changed for Brendan: his attitude to filming, to acting. He
felt as if something valuable and important had been taken from him. This story tormented him for
a long time, and Brendan dared to tell it publicly only after the start of the MeToo campaign,
seeing how other people shared their experiences.
When he opened up about being harassed by
Berk in an interview with GQ magazine in 2018, he saw many people respond to his story. Fraser
even trended on Twitter after that. And although it was a difficult experience for him, which
made him feel exposed in front of everyone, at the same time, Brendan finally felt free, as
if a heavy weight had been lifted from him.
But at the beginning of zero years it was still a
long way off and Fraser had to continue working, silently keeping this difficult story inside.
At that time, he was releasing the animated comedy “Looney Tunes: Back in Action”, directed by Joe
Dante. In it, the actor performed the main role of Damian "D. J." Drake, Jr., as well as himself.
Among his colleagues on the set were Steve Martin (ˈmɑːtɪn) and Timothy Dalton (ˈdɔːltən).
The movie parodied spy films and action films, received quite good reviews from the audience,
but failed to beat its budget at the box office.
Its script interested Fraser precisely because
of the state in which he was at the time. At this point, besides the harassment incident,
he was also rejected for the role of Superman in the Brett Ratner (rætnə) film. In the
end, not only did Brendan fail to get a role in this film, it was canceled altogether
and replaced by another, Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh (rauθ). But for Fraser,
it became a huge disappointment in himself.
Inset quote: «You feel like: I didn't
measure up. Oh, I failed. And the truth is, you didn't. That's erroneous. That's wrong. It's
not true. You didn't fail. You're not. But even if you — if like, as I sit here and say that
to you right now, I feel like, Well, no, no, the proof's right there». (Brendan Fraser)
But what does “Looney Tunes” have to do with it? There was a scene in that movie where he
had to punch himself in the face. It was this that became the expression of all the despair
and hatred of the actor towards himself. He considered himself worthless and wanted to
symbolically knock the fool out of himself without waiting for others to do it.
Fraser's next project was the highly successful crime drama “Crash” in 2004,
directed by Paul Haggis (ha·guhs). In it, the actor played the role of the husband
of Sandra Bullock's (bu·luhk) character, prosecutor Rick Cabot ([KAB] + [UHT]).
By the way, it was Fraser's appearance that gave the "green light" to the filming.
And the film turned out to be very successful from all sides: it was positively evaluated
by the audience, it received a very good box office - with a budget of only $6.5 million,
it collected $98 million. And it also became the favorite of the Academy Awards, where
it received 6 nominations and won three of them - as the best film, screenplay and editing.
But then the actor again had a streak of failures: he starred in little-noticed and not very
successful films - the crime thriller “Journey to the End of the Night”, which would still
play an important role for Fraser in the future, the black comedy “The Last Time” and
the crime drama “The Air I Breathe”.
In 2008, Fraser starred in a fairly successful
project - the sci-fi action adventure “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. The film was directed
by Eric Brevig (‘brɛvɪg), and Fraser's colleagues on the set were Seth Meyers (maɪəz) and Josh
Hutcherson (hʌʧəsən). The film was an adaptation of Jules Verne's novel of the same name.
Although critics gave the film mixed reviews, it was praised by the audience,
who reinforced their commitment in cinemas. The picture collected almost $250
million against a budget of $40 million.
This film used the relatively new 3D technology at
the time, which was much better and didn't cause the feeling of nausea like when using glasses in
the 50s. Fraser was very proud of this project.
Also, many years after filming, it was
revealed that Brendan helped the special effects team. They were not paid for their
work due to the bankruptcy of the company that did the computer animation for the film.
After learning about this situation, Fraser, who was also the film producer, conducted
a public campaign that allowed the team to receive 80% of the payments after 2 years.
The success of this project was again to be supported by the Mummy, the third part of
which, “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor", was released in 2008. But everything was wrong
with this film from the very beginning. First, the director changed, as Rob Cohen (ˈkəʊən) worked
on the third Mummy instead of Sommers. Secondly, Rachel Weisz (waɪz), who played the
main role of Rick O'Connell's wife, left the project. And the story at that
moment seemed to begin to outlive itself.
As a result, although the film fully paid
for itself at the box office, collecting 403 million dollars against a budget of $145 million,
critics did not like it. And the audience received it more coolly than other parts of the franchise.
Furthermore, Fraser began to have health problems. He continued to perform most of the stunts on
his own until his body simply couldn't take it anymore. As he later admitted, in order to
make combat scenes in the film, he had to create something similar to an exoskeleton for himself
every day from special tapes and ice packs.
All this, in the end, led to
serious health consequences, which had to be solved with the help of
surgical operations. Over the course of 7 years, Brendan had to undergo a laminectomy and vocal
cord surgery, as well as a knee replacement.
Inset quote: «I felt like the horse from Animal
Farm, whose job it was to work and work and work. Orwell wrote a character who was, I think, the
proletariat. He worked for the good of the whole, he didn't ask questions, he didn't make
trouble until it killed him.… I don't know if I've been sent to the glue factory, but
I've felt like I've had to rebuild shit that I've built that got knocked down and do it
again for the good of everyone. Whether it hurts you or not». (Brendan Fraser)
To all these difficulties were added problems in personal life. In 2007,
it became known about the beginning of Brendan's divorce from his wife. It dragged
on for 2 long years and ended only in 2009. But, as it turned out, this was only the beginning
of difficult times. A few years later, in 2013, the actor filed a request to the court to reduce
the monthly amount of alimony payments, arguing that his income level has fallen sharply, because
invitations to roles have become much less, and the level of fees has also decreased greatly.
But his ex-wife, Afton Smith, accused the actor of fraud and concealment of assets worth more than
$20 million and new filming contracts worth $9 million. Although Fraser rejected those claims,
he still had to pay a fixed amount of $50,000 a month for 10 years. It is clear that this had
an extremely negative impact on his financial situation.
Oblivion…
After the release of the third part of The Mummy,
Fraser's career began to fade rapidly. His next films - the fantasy adventure “Inkheart” and
the drama “Extraordinary Measures" were not very successful with the audience and critics.
And, although they were not box office failures, they did not become hits either.
Then it didn't get better. The 2010 family black comedy “Furry Vengeance", directed
by Roger Kumble (kʌmbᵊl), was panned by critics, many of whom called it a candidate for worst film
of the year. And the crime comedy “Stand Off”, released 2 years later, went unnoticed.
Fraser's subsequent projects were a gradual slide to the bottom with playing in minor,
unknown films, some of which did not even make it to cinemas. The only exception was the
voice acting in the 2014 animated film “The Nut Job" by Peter Lepeniotis (ləpə’nᵊɔtɪs).
Although the critics did not like this film, it was quite favorably received by the audience,
and at the box office it managed to raise almost $121 million against a budget of $30 million.
As a result, over time, Fraser stopped acting in movies altogether. He only appeared
on TV shows. Some of them were of very dubious quality, and Brendan in most
cases played only minor roles in them.
“The phone does stop ringing in your
career, and you start asking yourself why”, Fraser recalled. “I bought into the
pressure that comes with the hopes and aims that come with a professional life”.
Inset quote: «That requires what they call thick skin, or just ignoring it, putting your head in
the sand, or gnashing your teeth and putting on your public face, or just not even…needing the
public. Ignoring. Staying home, damn it. You know, not 'cause I'm aloof or anything, but because
I just felt I couldn't be a part of it. I didn't feel that I belonged». (Brendan Fraser)
Fraser speculated that the poor job situation may have had something to do with the Philip
Berk story that had fallen out of favor with the HFPA. There is no confirmation of this,
but who knows how it could be in reality.
After one of his series roles, in “The Affair”,
in 2016 he gave his first interview in many years, which caused concern among many
viewers. Fraser looked upset, depressed, speaking almost in a whisper. Of course, everyone
assumed that he was not feeling well because of his career problems and divorce from his wife.
But it turned out that the reason was completely different, actually sad and tragic. He had to
give an interview just a few days after his mother’s funeral, who died from cancer. Of course,
this whole story could not but affect the actor's condition. "Going to work—in between being in
and out of those hospitals, that wasn't always possible”, Fraser admitted. “So what I'm saying
to you sounds, I hope, not like some sort of Hey, I had a boo-boo. I needed to put a Band-Aid
on it, but more of an account of the reality of what I was walking around in".
Inset quote: «I changed houses; I went through a divorce. Some kids were born. I
mean, they were born, but they're growing up. I was going through things that mold and shape
you in ways that you're not ready for until you go through them». (Brendan Fraser)
Outside of that, Fraser lived a calm, quiet life raising his sons. Although they stayed
with their mother, Brendan had the opportunity to see them regularly. Of course, he paid
special attention to his eldest son, Griffin.
The actor settled on a remote farm in New Bedford
(njuː bɛdfɔːd), New York, away from the noisy and bustling big city. This place was ideal both
for Brendan, who was able to relax and forget about his problems, and for his sons. Children
had the opportunity to play in the fresh air, swim in the pool, relax in a hammock, jump on
a trampoline and engage in other activities.
For a time, Fraser took care of a horse named
Pecas, which he took from the filming of the History Channel series, “Texas Rising”.
They were filming down in Mexico, he says, when he and the horse had a shared moment of
recognition. “Without doing too much—what's the word? Anthropomorphic…anthropomorphizing…
Without pretending that the animal is a human, he looked like he needed help.
Like: Get me out of here, man.”
Griffin got along very well with the
animal, because the time he spent with it calmed him and made him feel better.
Inset quote: «There's something good that happens between the two of them. And even if
he doesn't ride him, just give him a brush. The horse loves it, the repetitive motion
that kids on the spectrum have that they love. And it just works…» (Brendan Fraser)
Unfortunately, over time Pekas was diagnosed with incurable melanoma, due to
which he had to be put to sleep.
As for his career, in 2018 Fraser released two
quite high-quality series: “Trust” and “Condor”, which received good reviews from critics. The
actor was praised for his performance in “Trust”, and his return was called very successful.
The following year, he returned to the movies, although again with less expressive films:
the thriller “The Poison Rose” with Morgan Freeman and John Travolta, as well as
the crime drama “Line of Descent”.
He also starred in the critically acclaimed
superhero series “Doom Patrol”, playing Cliff Steele (stiːl), aka Robotman. For it, Fraser was
nominated for Best Actor in a Superhero Series at the 2022 Critics' Choice Super Awards.
From this period begins the era of Brenaissance, or "Rebirth of Brendan".
And before moving on to the story of Fraser's return to Hollywood, we suggest you click the
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Brenaissance
In 2021, Fraser had another successful film:
the neo-noir thriller “No Sudden Move”, directed by Steven Soderbergh (sow·dr·brg).
It was very well received by critics, with a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and an
average score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic.
But what awaited him later probably exceeded all,
even the wildest expectations. The role in Darren Aronofsky's (eh·ruh·naaf·skee) film "The Whale"
was a new career breakthrough for the actor, demonstrating the depth and
brightness of his talent.
But getting into this project for Fraser was more
of a happy accident, because when searching for actors for the role of Charlie, he was obviously
not the first one that came to Aronofsky's mind.
Yes, it was shooting in the little-known Brazilian
film “Journey to the End of the Night", which took place in the middle of the "zeroes", that became
the determining factor for Brendan to receive the role for which he was awarded an Oscar!
“I’m just a lucky guy who walked into his office,” Brendan says modestly. “Darren, Sadie and
I did a reading together and if we didn’t have the chemistry that we did, I’m pretty confident we
wouldn’t be here, because he hadn't made up his mind on whether or not he was going to make the
movie until he had some semblance of whether this can work. But I felt after shooting this film,
and working with Darren and others closely, that it elevated our standards for the
care that you would put into the craft.”
When Fraser found out what the film would be
about, he realized that the character Charlie was very close to him. Of course, the connection
with his children, especially Griffin, played a huge role in his understanding of this character.
Inset quote: «He's a big kid, he's 6-foot-5. He's got big hands and feet, a big body. I understand
intimately what it is to be close to a person who lives with obesity». (Brendan Fraser)
For the role, Brendan consulted with an anti-obesity coalition and worked with
a dance instructor before filming to understand how his character would move with
the extra weight. During the work process, he also had to spend 4 hours on make-up and
wearing a special suit imitating Charlie's body.
Fraser treated his character with great
respect and warmth. He emphasized that this film was not about obesity at all,
but about a lonely, traumatized person who punished himself for past mistakes by
drowning out these traumas with overeating, which eventually led to serious health problems.
Realizing that his health is irreparably damaged, Charlie tries to atone for his guilt before his
daughter and reconcile with her while he still has time. It is redemption that Fraser calls the
White Whale that Charlie seeks to find, recalling Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick, or The Whale,
a reference to which the film's title is based.
“Once a leading man, always a leading
man,” Darren Aronofsky says. “I really believe that. I think there’s a quality
to actors of his ilk—there’s a magic in there that doesn’t go away. Especially
if it hasn’t had much time to shine.”
The movie received huge recognition immediately
after the premiere, which took place at the Venice International Film Festival, where it received
a 6-minute standing ovation. Brendan was moved to tears. Most critics noted Fraser's fantastic
performance, although there were also negative reviews. But all this was not so important,
because Brendan became one of the favorites to receive the Academy Awards, as the best
actor, and eventually won in this nomination.
Such a triumphant return caused great public
admiration. People rejoiced that Brendan, who had been a favorite of the audience for many
years, despite a long period of failure, managed to get back to the top and even a little higher.
The moment when the actor found out about the Oscar nomination was incredibly important for him
because he was able to share it with his family.
His sons also supported him at the ceremony -
Fraser came to it with Holden and Leland. And, of course, he mentioned them in his speech.
Inset quote: «It's been like I've been on a diving expedition to the bottom of the ocean, and
the air on the line [has come from] some people in my life like my sons Holden and Leland and
Griffin — I love you, Griffey». (Brendan Fraser)
Besides his sons, Brendan's new love -
makeup artist Jeanne Moore (mʊə) - was also present at the Oscar ceremony. For the
first time, she appeared with him publicly at the premiere of "China" in Venice. And this
is the first time the actor appeared in public with a woman after divorcing his wife. It’s not
known for sure when this relationship began, but now Fraser feels very happy in it.
Besides the Oscar, Fraser was also nominated for the Golden Globe Awards, but because of the
story with Philip Berk, he refused to attend the ceremony, as he considered it hypocritical.
The rise of Brendan's career continued: it became known about receiving a role in a new
project in August 2021. And it was a very solid project! Martin Scorsese's killer western
crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” features an all-star cast. Fraser's partners
on the set were Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The film tells the story of a series
of murders that take place on indigenous lands after the discovery of oil in the 1920s.
Speaking about the film, Fraser was very excited to be able to work with Martin Scorsese,
and also recalled his acquaintance with DiCaprio, which took place 30 years before.
Inset quote: «I saw him in Gilbert Grape and was like all of 15,16. I was in my 20s and
that was so, it was so good […] Years later he told me I was like the first person that didn’t
treat him like a little kid cuz when I met him I didn’t see a little kid. I saw a really formidable
actor who was a young person of course, but a force to be reckoned with». (Brendan Fraser)
One of the disappointments for Brendan was the cancellation of “Batgirl”, based on the
DC Universe, where he played the villain, Firefly. Due to circumstances it was decided
not to release the movie that had already been shot. But even this could not spoil the
impression of Fraser's grand return to the list of the best Hollywood actors.
So, the Brenaissance happened! And now everything is back to normal for
Brendan Fraser, with a happy big family, a loved one and a career that is on the rise. With
millions of passionate fans and favorite hobbies.
By the way, one of Brendan's biggest hobbies,
which he has been interested in all his life, is photography, he loves Polaroid
pictures. He is also very fond of archery - there are bags of sawdust and
targets in the backyard of his house, which he likes to shoot from time to time.
During his life, Brendan Fraser went through a difficult path of successes and failures,
high rises and catastrophic falls. He managed to prove by his own example that it is
possible to return from oblivion and become someone much greater. He deserved to
fully enjoy this moment of true triumph!
When Brendan was asked in one of the interviews
what was next, he said a slightly paraphrased quote by Herman Melville (mel·vil), the author
of Moby Dick: "I know not what will come, but come what will and I will go there laughing."
We hope you also enjoyed walking this thorny path with Brendan Fraser. And if you want to
know even more facts about his career, we suggest you click on the icon on your screen
to watch another video we made about him! And hit the like button if you enjoyed this video!
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