For about 30 years, Brendan Fraser entertained audiences with various types of movies in genres like comedies, blockbusters, and drama. His best movies include The Mummy franchise, George of the Jungle, Journey to the Center of the Earth, School Ties, and more. However, there is one scene Fraser filmed in one of his movies that actually made him rethink his entire career.
The movies that Brendan Fraser starred in during the ‘90s and ‘00s were a mixed bag. Gods and Monsters showed off this stellar actor’s range and The Mummy franchise turned him into an international star. But in the late 2000s, Fraser experienced flops like Tomb of the Dragon that killed The Mummy franchise and enduring slapstick animal attacks in Furry Vengeance. During THR’s Actor Roundtable, the American-Canadian actor spoke about which of his scenes caused him to rethink his entire acting career.
I think it was the night that I was shooting a scene wherein I was being mauled by a bear, and I was in a Porta Potty, and the Porta Potty got inverted, and I was on my head, and all this Gatorade and stuff dropped on my head that made me have a conversation with myself: ‘Is this worth it? Maybe I should reprioritize myself and stop working with animals.’ Look, I stepped back for a number of reasons. I had some chips and dings in the paint [injuries], and the business had changed a lot, too. I had to grow back into it and get back the real hunger that I had to tell stories.
And it’s reasons like this why I’ll never use a Porta Potty if I can help it. Even though Brendan Fraser never said what project he was referring to, it’s safe to say he was talking about the scene in Furry Vengeance when a grizzly bear traps his character in a tipped-over Porta Potty in retaliation for attempting to turn a forest into a residential development. This live-action Over the Hedge rip-off film was critically panned with a current 7% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was the last movie that Fraser was in under the William Morris Endeavor agency before switching to Creative Arts Agency. We all knew that the Indiana native could do much better than this goofball of a movie.
Brendan Fraser took a long hiatus away from acting due to the personal tragedies of losing his mother and the sexual assault allegations against an HFPA member. But after beautiful moments he experienced with his horse, Peca, Fraser came to the revelation that his Hollywood comeback was the right decision. It may have taken him a long time to return to Hollywood in possibly wanting to step away for reinvention, but we’re so glad he’s here now. Since it’s been over a decade since we saw Fraser in a good movie, this is a good time for this returning actor to show off his range more and remind audiences why they loved him in the first place.
The movie that was perfect for Brendan Fraser’s reintroduction to Hollywood was Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. The first look of this returning actor playing 600-pound man Charlie had fans already talking Oscars. He’s so far won a major award at the Toronto International Film Festival and received standing ovations at the Venice Film Festival. All of the work Fraser put into his performance working with obesity advocates shows how dedicated he was to giving audiences an authentic portrayal. The critics were also impressed with Fraser for providing strength and depth to this heavily emotional role of an obese man wanting to reconnect with his daughter. This Doom Patrol actor may not have won Best Actor at the 2023 Golden Globes, but I think he still has a shot at holding that Oscar trophy with gravitas.
I think we’re safe to assume that Brendan Fraser will be steering clear away from working with animals again or any other goofy kid’s movie. With the praise he’s been getting from The Whale, I’d like to believe he’ll carry on bringing us to tears within the drama genre. You can watch Fraser’s award-winning performance in The Whale in theaters now. And if you’re absolutely curious about the critically-tanked movie that affected this film/television actor’s career, Furry Vengeance is currently available on your HBO Max subscription.