Brendan Fraser

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Featured Episode

About

Brendan Fraser is a Canadian-American actor who became famous in the late 1990s. He starred in films such as George of the Jungle, The Mummy and Journey to the Center of the Earth. In 2008, he took a hiatus from acting before returning in 2021 when he gained an online fanbase thanks to nostalgia for his earlier roles and sympathy for his personal struggles.

Career

Fraser was well-liked in the 1990s and 2000s for his roles as naive and inexperienced but strong and attractive characters. He first appeared playing younger supporting characters in films such as Encino Man, School Ties and Gods and Monsters. Popularity from these smaller roles led to starring roles in larger movies, such as D.J. Drake in Looney Tunes: Back In Action and Rick O'Connell in The Mummy and its sequels.^[1]

In 2007, Fraser divorced his wife Afton Smith. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, released in 2008, was his last major starring role for more than a decade.^[1]

In 2010, Fraser appeared in a notable meme format when viewers of the Golden Globes took note of his single clap at a joke told by Robert De Niro. Meme creators set the clip to various songs and inserted it into other videos as an exploitable.

Save Brendan Movement

In 2015, a meme circulated featuring an image of Fraser edited so that he appeared to be crying and having a Just Fuck My Shit Up haircut, reflecting the sense that he was no longer successful.

Inspired by the meme, the /r/SAVEBRENDAN subreddit was created on April 28th, 2015, aiming to create grassroots support to give more roles and attention to Fraser.^[2] Over six years, the top-rated posts on the subreddit received more than 50,000 upvotes in six months.^[2]

Comeback

In 2018, Fraser was profiled by GQ in an article titled "Whatever Happened To Brendan Fraser?"^[3] In the article, Fraser revealed his hiatus from major roles was the result of multiple factors, including drastic physical injuries sustained from stunts, emotional trauma caused by his divorce and the fallout from accusing Philip Berk, former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, of sexually assaulting Fraser in 2003.

Later that year, he appeared in the HBO series Trust and was cast in the DC Comics TV show Doom Patrol as the voice of Robotman.^[4]

In 2021, he returned to Hollywood films, playing a supporting role in the crime film No Sudden Move. The same year, it was announced he was starring in Killers of the Flower Moon, an upcoming film from Martin Scorsese, and The Whale, an upcoming film from Darren Aronofsky.^[5]

Reputation

Fraser's return to acting coincided with a wave of nostalgia for his Mummy series with people who grew up on the films remembering them and bringing them back into the cultural conversation. Fraser's openness about struggles with his physical and mental health also earned him goodwill from the public, leading GQ to write that his return was being called "The Brenaissance."^[5]

On August 8th, 2021, TikToker^[6] LittleLottieCosplay posted a video of a virtual meet-and-greet with Fraser, where he cried upon being told "There's so many people out there who love you, and we're rooting for you, and we can't wait to see what you do next" (seen below). The TikTok received more than 500,000 likes in two weeks and was covered by media outlets, such as Insider.^[7]