Brendan Fraser has an emotional moment after fans thank him for 'making my childhood awesome'
What a genuine guy.

Brendan Fraser at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
Actor Brendan Fraser was one of the most popular and beloved comedy and action stars of the late ’90s and 2000s. He catapulted to fame behind blockbusters like "The Mummy" franchise, "George of the Jungle," "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" and the Oscar-winning film "Crash."
However, a confluence of events led him to put his career as a leading man on the backburner in the late 2000s.
Over the course of a decade, he would go through an ugly divorce with the wife of his three children. He suffered serious injuries doing stunts throughout his career and would undergo surgeries on his knee and vocal cords. In 2016, he lost his mother and in 2018, he alleged he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in 2003.
The series of setbacks pushed Fraser into a deep depression that further hampered his career.
Over the past few years, Fraser has experienced an upswing in his career. He currently stars in the HBO Max action series “Doom Patrol” and has upcoming roles in films by two A-list directors, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” and Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Over the weekend, Fraser made an appearance at the Calgary Expo where he did a Q&A with fans who seemed primarily interested in talking about some of the stranger films in his catalog; namely, “George of the Jungle,” “Encino Man,” “Bedazzled'' and “Monkeybone.”
He also signed autographs at the event which led to a heartwarming exchange with two fans. A TikTok user with the user name imani.goulet posted a video of the interaction on Sunday, April 24, and it went viral with more than 2.4 million views. During the exchange, Fraser signs a Funko doll of himself for Imani and they bond over a common problem, an uncommon name.
"I've had a lifetime of people mispronouncing my name. I know what it feels like," he tells the two women. As the girls leave the table, one says something that clearly touched Fraser’s heart.
@imani.goulet #brendanfraser #brendanfraserappreciation #brenaissance i love this man 🥹 my photo op with him and my signed funko are on my instagram: imani.goulet • everyone always says to never meet your heroes, i met mine and we almost burst into tears talking to eachother. thank you for everything brendan! ♥️
"Thank you for making my childhood awesome,” she says. "And mine too," Imani adds. According to Imani, the words almost made Fraser “burst into tears.” The “George of the Jungle” star responded to the compliment with a fist bump.
“You can tell that last comment really meant SO much to him and I am HERE FOR IT,” a commenter named Kim wrote.
“Everyone always says to never meet your heroes, I met mine and we almost burst into tears talking to each other. Thank you for everything Brendan!” Imani captioned her video. “I hope he knows just how loved he is,” BV added.
The exchange shows that even though Fraser has been famous for four decades, he hasn’t become jaded and cynical and still enjoys it when a fan shows their appreciation. It’s that type of sincere reaction that has encouraged many people to root for Fraser over the last few years as he rebuilds his career.
This article originally appeared on 4.26.22
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."