WTF Happened to Brendan Fraser?
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VOICE OVER: Phoebe de Jeu
WRITTEN BY: Nathan Sharp
Where are you, Brendan Fraser? It's been so long... For this video we'll be looking at what Brendan Fraser has been up to since his time in the limelight. Brendan Fraser was everywhere in the late 90s and early 2000s from his blockbuster appearances in The Mummy franchise to his dramatic role in "Crash" (2004) but these days he's no where to be seen. Do you miss him as much as we do? Let us know in the comments!
Script written by Nathan Sharp
If there’s one actor the internet desperately wants to see return to the spotlight, it’s Brendan Fraser. Of course, Fraser has never really faded from the public consciousness. He’s been the subject of numerous memes and funny gifs over the years (remember the iconic Golden Globes clap?), and if we’re not making him a meme, we’re asking, “Whatever happened to that guy, anyway?”
And it’s certainly a valid question. After all, Fraser was absolutely everywhere in the late 90s and early 2000s. He’s perhaps most well known as Rick O’Connell from the “Mummy” series, two of which were released in 1999 and 2001. But he also starred in the likes of “George of the Jungle,” “Bedazzled,” “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” and “Crash” (in one of his finest dramatic roles). Those movies alone combined to gross over $1.2 billion, making Brendan Fraser one of the most profitable leading men of his day. But somewhere along the way, everything changed. And certainly not for the better.
The first, and perhaps most recognizable, thing to plague Fraser’s career was his poor choice in movies and resulting box office bombs. The first two “Mummy” movies grossed over $400 million each. And while everyone remembers “The Mummy,” no one remembers his other 1999 release – a movie called “Dudley Do-Right,” which saw Fraser as a Canadian Mountie. That movie grossed just $10 million on a $70 million budget[[1]], making it an enormous box office bomb. However, one bomb does not a career ruin, and Fraser was lucky enough to recover. But then they kept coming. In 2001 he starred in an even bigger disaster called “Monkeybone,” which grossed just $7.6 million on a $75 million budget[[2]]. Two years later was the aforementioned “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.” Nowadays it’s a beloved film, but when it was released, it grossed just shy of $70 million on a $80 million budget[[3]]. Certainly not as devastating, but a bomb, nonetheless.
It’s clear that people loved Brendan Fraser in the the “Mummy” movies, but that didn’t mean they would love Brendan Fraser in just anything. Hollywood executives looked at the box office performance of these three not-outrageously budgeted movies and began to question Fraser’s capability as a leading man and box office draw.
But then came an incident that was far more destructive to Fraser’s career - and his mental health. In an exclusive sit down with GQ’s Zach Baron in 2018, Fraser recounted a groping incident that took place in the summer of 2003, just a few short months before “Looney Tunes” was released. During a lunch held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, ex-president Philip Berk allegedly grabbed Fraser’s butt and fondled him with his finger. In Fraser’s own words, “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”[[4]]. Berk, in turn, admits that he pinched Fraser’s butt in a “friendly” manner, but calls Fraser’s story “a total fabrication.” Regardless, this particular incident caused Fraser to spiral into depression. Fraser recounts that he entered a daze and retreated both into himself and away from the public eye. In Fraser’s words, it ruined “who I was and what I was doing. [Work] withered on the vine for me. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me”[[5]]. He asked for an apology from Berk and the HFPA but refused to take the allegation public, saying, “I didn’t want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative”[[6]].
Fraser also assumes that his allegation and personal pushback against Berk caused him to be blacklisted by the Hollywood Foreign Press. He states that he “curried disfavor” with the group and was rarely invited back to the Golden Globes (which are hosted by the HFPA)[[7]]. The HFPA, in turn, denies any involvement in Fraser’s lack of work, putting the onus of blame on Fraser and Fraser alone.
This self-imposed retreat, depression, and possible blacklisting by the HFPA are mirrored in Fraser’s filmography. He didn’t work much between 2003 and 2008,appearing in just four movies. Sure, one of those was “Crash,” but the other three are very small and low-budgeted films that you’ve probably never heard of . In comparison, Fraser released ten movies between 1999 and 2003[[8]].
In turn, Fraser’s lack of substantial work started to make him feel like a failure. He tells GQ that he was considered for the role of Superman in the early 2000s. The movie became 2006’s “Superman Returns,” and if you recall, Superman was not played by Brendan Fraser but by newcomer Brandon Routh. This was a major blow to Fraser’s confidence, and he unfortunately considered himself a failure[[9]].
Things got even worse for Fraser in 2007, as he and Afton Smith, his wife of nine years, decided to divorce[[10]]. However, the following year saw Brendan briefly returning to profitable leading man status. 2008 saw the release of both “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which combined to gross over $640 million at the box office.
Unfortunately, this return to stardom was severely ill-timed, as Fraser’s health was falling apart. He tells GQ, “By the time I did the third ‘Mummy’ picture…I was put together with tape and ice.” Years of stunt work and intense physical acting had taken its toll, and Fraser required multiple surgeries. These include a laminectomy, knee replacement, vocal cord repair, and the bolting of compressed spinal pads. If that sounds like a total nightmare, that’s because it was. Fraser spent the next seven years in and out of various hospitals[[11]]. He was forced to take roles and movies that he wasn’t proud of[[12]] (and which paid considerably less than he was used to), which of course only added to his depression and sense of failure.
If he wasn’t in the surgery room, recovering from a surgery, or preparing for an upcoming surgery, he was in and out of family court. By 2013 Fraser could no longer afford his annual child support payment of $900,000 (which, if our math checks out, is $75,000 a month!)[[13]]. In early 2013, he petitioned the court for a reduced payment, claiming that he was unable to procure the necessary funds due to a significant lack of work.
When all is said and done, there isn’t one thing that ruined Fraser’s career. The man was struck by an unfortunate amount of bad luck, and everything seemed to coalesce into a perfect storm of career and personal degradation. Let’s recap. In the early 2000s he starred in a handful of devastating bombs, which may have impacted his status as a profitable leading man. In 2003, while in the midst of said bombs, he was allegedly groped by the ex-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press and potentially blacklisted for speaking out. This event resulted in self-imposed exile and depression, which led to a substantial lack of work. This lack of work made him feel like a failure and further worsened his depression. His marriage subsequently fell apart and he divorced from his wife of nine years. His BODY then fell apart and he was in and out of hospitals for seven years while he was restructured and repaired. And in the middle of all that, Fraser was facing significant financial troubles and could no longer afford his massive child support payments (of $75,000 a month, may we remind you).
So, THAT’S what happened to Brendan Fraser. It’s certainly not an easy answer, but these things seldom are. Luckily, Fraser’s career seems to be on the upswing again, and he has made a name for himself on television. Since 2015 he has starred in the shows “Texas Rising,” “Trust,” and “Condor.” He currently portrays Cliff Steele, AKA Robotman, on DC Universe’s “Doom Patrol”[[14]].
Maybe it’s not leading man material, but it’s something. And at this point, we’re happy to see him in anything. He deserves it.
Whatever Happened to Brendan Fraser?
If there’s one actor the internet desperately wants to see return to the spotlight, it’s Brendan Fraser. Of course, Fraser has never really faded from the public consciousness. He’s been the subject of numerous memes and funny gifs over the years (remember the iconic Golden Globes clap?), and if we’re not making him a meme, we’re asking, “Whatever happened to that guy, anyway?”
And it’s certainly a valid question. After all, Fraser was absolutely everywhere in the late 90s and early 2000s. He’s perhaps most well known as Rick O’Connell from the “Mummy” series, two of which were released in 1999 and 2001. But he also starred in the likes of “George of the Jungle,” “Bedazzled,” “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” and “Crash” (in one of his finest dramatic roles). Those movies alone combined to gross over $1.2 billion, making Brendan Fraser one of the most profitable leading men of his day. But somewhere along the way, everything changed. And certainly not for the better.
The first, and perhaps most recognizable, thing to plague Fraser’s career was his poor choice in movies and resulting box office bombs. The first two “Mummy” movies grossed over $400 million each. And while everyone remembers “The Mummy,” no one remembers his other 1999 release – a movie called “Dudley Do-Right,” which saw Fraser as a Canadian Mountie. That movie grossed just $10 million on a $70 million budget[[1]], making it an enormous box office bomb. However, one bomb does not a career ruin, and Fraser was lucky enough to recover. But then they kept coming. In 2001 he starred in an even bigger disaster called “Monkeybone,” which grossed just $7.6 million on a $75 million budget[[2]]. Two years later was the aforementioned “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.” Nowadays it’s a beloved film, but when it was released, it grossed just shy of $70 million on a $80 million budget[[3]]. Certainly not as devastating, but a bomb, nonetheless.
It’s clear that people loved Brendan Fraser in the the “Mummy” movies, but that didn’t mean they would love Brendan Fraser in just anything. Hollywood executives looked at the box office performance of these three not-outrageously budgeted movies and began to question Fraser’s capability as a leading man and box office draw.
But then came an incident that was far more destructive to Fraser’s career - and his mental health. In an exclusive sit down with GQ’s Zach Baron in 2018, Fraser recounted a groping incident that took place in the summer of 2003, just a few short months before “Looney Tunes” was released. During a lunch held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, ex-president Philip Berk allegedly grabbed Fraser’s butt and fondled him with his finger. In Fraser’s own words, “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”[[4]]. Berk, in turn, admits that he pinched Fraser’s butt in a “friendly” manner, but calls Fraser’s story “a total fabrication.” Regardless, this particular incident caused Fraser to spiral into depression. Fraser recounts that he entered a daze and retreated both into himself and away from the public eye. In Fraser’s words, it ruined “who I was and what I was doing. [Work] withered on the vine for me. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me”[[5]]. He asked for an apology from Berk and the HFPA but refused to take the allegation public, saying, “I didn’t want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative”[[6]].
Fraser also assumes that his allegation and personal pushback against Berk caused him to be blacklisted by the Hollywood Foreign Press. He states that he “curried disfavor” with the group and was rarely invited back to the Golden Globes (which are hosted by the HFPA)[[7]]. The HFPA, in turn, denies any involvement in Fraser’s lack of work, putting the onus of blame on Fraser and Fraser alone.
This self-imposed retreat, depression, and possible blacklisting by the HFPA are mirrored in Fraser’s filmography. He didn’t work much between 2003 and 2008,appearing in just four movies. Sure, one of those was “Crash,” but the other three are very small and low-budgeted films that you’ve probably never heard of . In comparison, Fraser released ten movies between 1999 and 2003[[8]].
In turn, Fraser’s lack of substantial work started to make him feel like a failure. He tells GQ that he was considered for the role of Superman in the early 2000s. The movie became 2006’s “Superman Returns,” and if you recall, Superman was not played by Brendan Fraser but by newcomer Brandon Routh. This was a major blow to Fraser’s confidence, and he unfortunately considered himself a failure[[9]].
Things got even worse for Fraser in 2007, as he and Afton Smith, his wife of nine years, decided to divorce[[10]]. However, the following year saw Brendan briefly returning to profitable leading man status. 2008 saw the release of both “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which combined to gross over $640 million at the box office.
Unfortunately, this return to stardom was severely ill-timed, as Fraser’s health was falling apart. He tells GQ, “By the time I did the third ‘Mummy’ picture…I was put together with tape and ice.” Years of stunt work and intense physical acting had taken its toll, and Fraser required multiple surgeries. These include a laminectomy, knee replacement, vocal cord repair, and the bolting of compressed spinal pads. If that sounds like a total nightmare, that’s because it was. Fraser spent the next seven years in and out of various hospitals[[11]]. He was forced to take roles and movies that he wasn’t proud of[[12]] (and which paid considerably less than he was used to), which of course only added to his depression and sense of failure.
If he wasn’t in the surgery room, recovering from a surgery, or preparing for an upcoming surgery, he was in and out of family court. By 2013 Fraser could no longer afford his annual child support payment of $900,000 (which, if our math checks out, is $75,000 a month!)[[13]]. In early 2013, he petitioned the court for a reduced payment, claiming that he was unable to procure the necessary funds due to a significant lack of work.
When all is said and done, there isn’t one thing that ruined Fraser’s career. The man was struck by an unfortunate amount of bad luck, and everything seemed to coalesce into a perfect storm of career and personal degradation. Let’s recap. In the early 2000s he starred in a handful of devastating bombs, which may have impacted his status as a profitable leading man. In 2003, while in the midst of said bombs, he was allegedly groped by the ex-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press and potentially blacklisted for speaking out. This event resulted in self-imposed exile and depression, which led to a substantial lack of work. This lack of work made him feel like a failure and further worsened his depression. His marriage subsequently fell apart and he divorced from his wife of nine years. His BODY then fell apart and he was in and out of hospitals for seven years while he was restructured and repaired. And in the middle of all that, Fraser was facing significant financial troubles and could no longer afford his massive child support payments (of $75,000 a month, may we remind you).
So, THAT’S what happened to Brendan Fraser. It’s certainly not an easy answer, but these things seldom are. Luckily, Fraser’s career seems to be on the upswing again, and he has made a name for himself on television. Since 2015 he has starred in the shows “Texas Rising,” “Trust,” and “Condor.” He currently portrays Cliff Steele, AKA Robotman, on DC Universe’s “Doom Patrol”[[14]].
Maybe it’s not leading man material, but it’s something. And at this point, we’re happy to see him in anything. He deserves it.
