Brendan Fraser’s recent career renaissance, affectionately dubbed the “Brenaissance,” has been a joy to watch. But behind the standing ovations and Oscar wins lies a darker story, one that saw Hollywood’s beloved himbo disappear from our screens for years.
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Of course, Fraser first rose to fame in the early ’90s, starring in comedies like Encino Man (1992) and George of the Jungle (1997), as well as dramas like School Ties (1992).
However, it was his role as Rick O’Connell in The Mummy (1999) that brought him massive commercial success. The film spawned two sequels in 2001 and 2008, with another installment reportedly in the works.
But then, he vanished.
Fraser, now 57, stepped away from the limelight for several years before his recent resurgence, which includes roles in the TV show Doom Patrol (2019-2023), Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move (2021), and Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale (2022). The latter marked his first leading role since 2013, earning him a six-minute standing ovation at 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 several reasons for his retreat from the public eye. Primarily, the physical demands of the Mummy franchise took a severe toll on his body. He spent seven years in and out of hospitals, undergoing multiple spinal surgeries, a partial knee replacement, and vocal cord repair.
“I felt like the horse from Animal Farm, whose job it was to work and work and work,” Fraser said at 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 also revealed that he was facing a deep bench of personal challenges. “I buried my mom [in 2016],” Fraser told 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 also disclosed that he was a victim of sexual assault. He told GQ that in 2003, Philip Berk, the former 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 be certain, he feels that going public 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 told GQ. “There are many reasons, but was this one of them? I think it was.”
Of course, Fraser’s career resurgence culminated at the 2023 Oscars. He won his first Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Whale. Overcome with emotion, he thanked his cast, crew, and three sons, two of whom were in the audience.
“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 said during his speech. “And I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgment.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.