Brendan Fraser has returned to the entertainment industry more refreshed than ever. The 53-year-old actor had been away from the big screen for years until recently, when he presented The Whale, his latest project alongside director Darren Aronofsky and Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink, at the 79th annual Venice International Film Festival.
According to some reports and statistics, Fraser could be the next Oscar nominee for Best Actor for his latest work as Charlie in The Whale. His character, a lonely teacher, tries to win back his family after being involved in a love interest scandal.
The Mummy actor did not have an easy life and after suffering several traumas he left Hollywood. He was in and out of different hospitals for almost 7 years due to physical problems, divorced his wife and lived terrible situations during his time in acting. Now, he returned to star in the drama and received a seven-minute standing ovation during the presentation of the film.
Why did Brendan Fraser leave acting and what brought him back?
Brendan had his first big screen appearance in 1991, in The Last Bet, with River Phoenix (brother of Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix). During filming he was asked if there was any chance of being thrown against a flipper in the middle of a fight and the actor readily agreed. All was happiness, as he had received his Actor's Guild card and in addition to receiving his first check as a professional, which came with a $50 bonus for filming the extra scene as a stunt double.
Several projects came next but none were too important, until George of the Jungle came along. The production was an unexpected success and catapulted him to the top of the limelight. That's when the magazine covers, the big offers and the starring roles came.
His consolidation as a recognized actor came with his greatest success: The Mummy. The trilogy brought him the fame that the previous productions had not been able to achieve. For this he had to train obsessively in his physique, since he played each of his stunts, without the need of a double. With time came problems because of this.
He began to have severe pain, injuries and many operations to correct the damage that stunts had caused him, due to falls and accidents during filming. Despite having made a name for himself in the industry, not many took him seriously, the public began to associate him with the roles he used to have.
Little by little his career had gone downhill. He was accumulating failures and the audience lost interest in his performance. From that moment on, he had nothing but problems. His personal life went downhill, as well as his profession. In 2007 he divorced his wife Afton Smith, with whom he had three children. The separation not only affected him emotionally but the scandals did not take long to arrive when she claimed around $900,000 per year in alimony.
It was a sum of money he could not afford after establishing himself as a defeated former star. No director was interested in his participation and he did not have an extravagant salary to contribute that amount for his ex-wife and children.
He tried to return to acting, making it a priority to choose the most suitable projects for him. He got a role in the TV series The Affair and everything seemed to be going well, as he had obtained several small supporting roles within some series, such as Trust, Condor and Doom Patrol.
During an interview with GQ, he confessed that he was abused by the president of the Hollywood Foreign Journalists Association, Philip Berk. At the time he said nothing and fifteen years later he was able to tell what had happened. Berk denied all the accusations and some time later he was fired from his position. The actor claims that he was one of the reasons for his exile from Hollywood. But Philip doubled the bet and said "Maybe the reason they didn't call him was that nobody wanted to be in pictures with someone who was already the past".
Now, he has returned to the big screen stronger than ever. He is still learning as he takes on new jobs but Brendan's comeback was one of the most anticipated. During the festival he received a seven-minute ovation that moved him to tears. Everyone loved him and celebrated his return to the big screen with him.
Soon we will see him in other big projects such as Killers of the Flower Moon, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, Brothers and Behind the Curtain of Night. During an interview a few days ago in Venice, he said "I've never gone that far. It's not so easy to get rid of me", he laughed, adding, "I'm very proud and happy to have worked on a film with so many talented people that proposes a message of tolerance".
