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Brendan Fraser has had one of the most powerful comebacks in recent memory to the entertainment business. The actor starred in several action movies in the late ’90s and early 2000s, including movies that grossed millions of dollars, such as George of the Jungle and The Mummy trilogy. However, Fraser had taken a step back from the big screen for a few years.
The actor slowly came back to do some television and film work in 2018, without much praise, except from his fans. That is, until the premiere of last year’s trailer for the Darren Aronofsky movie, The Whale. It was a difficult story to tell that demands a lot of sensitivity from its actor, and Fraser was constantly bombarded with compliments for his performance. It makes the audience wonder what made the actor step out of the spotlight for so long.
Some genres are riskier for actors overall. Action may be the one that demands the most, physically speaking. From jumping on moving trains (even if inside a studio) to fight scenes, these movies are not easy to do. Fraser is one of the actors who have endured multiple serious injuries over the years, and this was one of the main reasons why he quit acting — thankfully, only for a few years.
Here is a bit more on Fraser’s past injuries on movie sets and other reasons why he stopped acting.
Brendan Fraser’s Injuries
Unfortunately, Fraser’s injuries on set started in his very first movie, Dogfight. In it, the actor said that he was paid $50 extra for a stunt adjustment (they threw him into a pinball machine) which ultimately lead to a bruised rib. One of his most well-known movies is the trilogy The Mummy, three movies which grossed $1.25 billion. A narrative filled with history and action, it was on these sets that the actor suffered serious injuries. Fraser stated that, “I was put together with tape and ice.” In the first installment, he was actually choked until he lost consciousness while filming a scene. He then woke up with an EMT calling his name.
The actor had hundreds of contusions, a partial knee replacement, and his vocal cords needed to be repaired, among many surgeries. Fraser also had to do a laminectomy, which entails that, a portion or all of the patient’s vertebra bone is removed. This helps ease pressure on the spinal cord or the nerve roots. The actor, unfortunately, had to re-do the surgery a year later because it didn’t work the first time. Fraser had multiple visits to the hospital due to his injuries, for nearly seven years.
It is simply unacceptable that all these injuries occurred to a person doing their job in the entertainment industry. It’s important to remember what happened with Halyna Hutchins, who was the head of photography on the set of the movie Rust with Alec Baldwin. Hutchins was shot and killed by a gun that was supposed to be used in a scene as a prop but was loaded. Some movie sets, and Hollywood as a whole, have the idea surrounding it of glamour and creative geniuses; nevertheless, people like Fraser are living proof of the bodies and limbs sacrificed for our entertainment.
Sexual Assault in Hollywood
While there were a lot of physical injuries which Brendan Fraser suffered while making movies that various people love to rewatch, there were more psychological and emotional injuries as well. Behind curtains of luxury and money, the entertainment business hides some horrible occurrences. With the Me Too movement, founded by Tarana Burke in 2006, decades of women that suffered sexual assault or harassment in many forms came forward to break this pattern.
This violence also happens with men, having gained some attention in the past few years, with established actors such as Terry Crews coming forward with their trauma from time in the industry. Fraser was open about the sexual harassment he suffered by Philip Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in a hotel back in 2013. This was the catalyst which, on top of his previous injuries and marital issues that would lead to a messy divorce, led to Fraser suffering from depression.
The actor stated how he started to become more secluded and fewer job offers started to come — until there were none. Fraser mentioned how he wasn’t invited anymore to some awards, including the Golden Globes, which is hosted by HFPA. The actor didn’t attend the Golden Globes this year despite being nominated for an award, and has made his feelings about the HFPA clear; he won’t be a hypocrite, in his words.
Brendan Fraser’s Comeback: The Brenassaince
It is nice to see Fraser getting love from longtime and newer fans, especially after everything he endured to tell stories the audience still loves to watch. His movie, The Whale, received a six-minute ovation when it premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival; he has been considered a lock for an Oscar nomination or win for this heartbreaking story about a secluded and severely obese father who tries to connect with his teenage daughter (played by Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink).
This narrative probably wouldn’t be the first one that a viewer would associate with Fraser (nor would his excellent reason work on the show Doom Patrol or the Steven Soderbergh movie No Sudden Movie). Nevertheless, it is heartwarming to see the actor getting emotional with the love he is receiving after thinking, for so many years, that he was forgotten. While it’s hard to say if the injuries could ever be ‘worth it,’ Fraser has certainly earned his recent acclaim.
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