Brendan Fraser’s current profession renaissance, affectionately dubbed the “Brenaissance,” has been a pleasure to observe. But behind the standing ovations and Oscar wins lies a darker story, one which noticed Hollywood’s beloved himbo disappear from our screens for years.
Of course, Fraser first rose to fame within the early ’90s, starring in comedies like Encino Man (1992) and George of the Jungle (1997), in addition to dramas like School Ties (1992).
However, it was his position as Rick O’Connell in The Mummy (1999) that introduced him huge industrial success. The movie spawned two sequels in 2001 and 2008, with another installment reportedly within the works.
But then, he vanished.
Fraser, now 57, stepped away from the limelight for a number of years earlier than his current resurgence, which incorporates roles within the TV present Doom Patrol (2019-2023), Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move (2021), and Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (2022). The latter marked his first main position since 2013, incomes him a six-minute standing ovation on the Venice Film Festival and a much-deserved Oscar for Best Actor.
Brendan Fraser Details the Reasons He Stepped Back From Acting For Several Years
In a 2018 GQ profile, Fraser revealed a number of causes for his retreat from the general public eye. Primarily, the bodily calls for of the Mummy franchise took a extreme toll on his physique. He spent seven years in and out of hospitals, present process a number of spinal surgical procedures, a partial knee substitute, and vocal wire restore.
“I felt like the horse from Animal Farm, whose job it was to work and work and work,” Fraser mentioned on the time. “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.”
The actor additionally revealed that he was dealing with a deep bench of private challenges. “I buried my mom [in 2016],” Fraser informed GQ. “I think I was in mourning, and I didn’t know what that meant.”
He added that he “changed houses, [and] 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.”
Why Fraser Believes He May Have Been Blacklisted
Fraser additionally disclosed that he was a sufferer of sexual assault. He informed GQ that in 2003, Philip Berk, the previous president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, assaulted him at a luncheon in Beverly Hills. Berk has denied the allegation.
“I felt ill,” Fraser recalled. “I felt like a little kid; I felt like there was a ball in my throat; I thought I was going to cry.”
He added, “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.”
While Fraser can’t make sure, he feels that going public along with his assault led to him being blacklisted by Hollywood.
“The phone does stop ringing in your career, and you start asking yourself why,” Fraser informed GQ. “There are many reasons, but was this one of them? I think it was.”
Of course, Fraser’s profession resurgence culminated on the 2023 Oscars. He received his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his efficiency in The Whale. Overcome with emotion, he thanked his solid, crew, and three sons, two of whom have been within the viewers.
“I started in this business 30 years ago, and things, they didn’t come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped,” Fraser mentioned throughout his speech. “And I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgment.”
If you or somebody you realize has been sexually assaulted, you may contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
