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Brendan Fraser showed up at a screening of 'The Mummy' completely decked out in costume

The audience went wild.

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Brendan Fraser dressed as Rick O'Connell.

Brendan Fraser might be making the greatest career comeback ever, racking up accolades and award nominations for his dramatic, transformative role in “The Whale." But the OG Fraser fans (the ones who watch “Doom Patrol” solely to hear his voice and proudly pronounce his last name as Fray-zure, for this is the proper pronunciation) have known of his remarkable talent since the 90s, when he embodied the ultimate charming, dashing—and slightly goofball—Hollywood action lead.

Let us not forget his arguably most well known and beloved 90s character—Rick O’Connell from the “Mummy” franchise. Between his quippy one-liners, Indiana Jones-like adventuring skills and fabulous hair, what’s not to like?

During a double feature of “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” in London, moviegoers got the ultimate surprise when who should walk in but Brendan Fraser himself, completely decked out in Rick O’Connell attire. The brown leather jacket. The scarf. Everything.

"I am proud to stand before you tonight," he told the audience. "This is a film that was made in Britain. You should know that! Even the second one, too. Be proud. Thank you for being here."

He continued, "We didn’t know if it was a drama or a comedy or a straight-ahead action or romance, a horror picture, more action, all of the above. No idea until it tested in front of British audiences. Thank you for that.”

Fraser then asked the crowd if anyone hadn’t actually seen the movie yet, before shouting, “Outstanding!” when somebody raised their hand. He then quickly made a polite plug encouraging people to go see “The Whale” before whisking himself away, saying, “I won’t take up any more of your time.”

Uh, yeah…I don’t think any time spent with Brendan Fraser is a waste. Do you?

Watch the adorable clip below:

As to whether or not "Mummy" fans will ever see a new Rick O'Connell story up on the big screen—only time will tell. In the meantime, we'll keep watching this video on repeat.


This article originally appeared last year.

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‘My mother didn’t raise a hypocrite’: Why Brendan Fraser won’t be at the Golden Globes if nominated

He’s an Academy Award frontrunner for his performance in ‘The Whale.’

via Montclair Film/Flickr

Brendan Fraser at the Montclair Film Festival, 2022.

Actor Brendan Fraser is being hailed as the comeback kid after his performance in Darren Aronofsky's “The Whale” has made him an Oscar frontrunner. Variety, Indie Wire and Awards Daily all have Fraser near the top of their lists for Best Actor alongside Austin Butler for his performance as the King of Rock ’n’ Roll in “Elvis” and Colin Farrell for his role in “The Banshees of Inisherin.”

“The Whale” is a film about a 600-pound writing teacher in failing health who desperately wants to reconnect with his daughter. “With ‘The Whale,’ Aronofsky and Fraser have taken substantive risks, in the name of an insistent empathy. I think, and my tear ducts agree, that those risks paid off,” Glenn Kenny writes for Roger Ebert.com.

Usually, when people are frontrunners for the Academy Award they are also likely to receive a nod from the Golden Globes. However, if Fraser is nominated, he won’t be attending.

“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” Fraser told GQ in an intimate interview. “No, I will not participate.”

“It’s because of the history that I have with them,” Fraser continued. “And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”

Fraser claims that in 2003, Philip Berk, the former president and member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), groped and sexually assaulted Fraser at a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "I felt ill. I felt like a little kid," he told GQ. "I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry."

When Fraser made the allegation public in 2018, it resulted in an outpouring of support for the actor at a time when health problems and trauma from the assault forced him to retreat from the limelight. Berk disputes Fraser's claim and reached out to him but he admitted no wrongdoing.

Berk denied the allegation in a statement: “Mr. Fraser’s version is a total fabrication.”

via Montclair Film

The HFPA wrote a joint statement to be signed by Fraser but he refused because he felt it downplayed Berk’s behavior. Berk was expelled from the HFPA last year but not for his behavior toward Fraser. He was thrown out after writing an email to HFPA members that called Black Lives Matter a "racist hate group.”

Fraser’s critical acclaim for his performance in “The Whale” is a welcome comeback for the actor and his fans who see him as part of their childhood. He delighted a lot of younger Gen Xers and millennials with his performances in the 1990s and 2000s, including in “School Ties,” “Encino Man,” “The Mummy” franchise and “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.”

Fraser told GQ that he’s excited to do the press rounds to campaign for an Oscar nod this awards season. But he won’t put his own dignity ahead of his career by attending an awards ceremony held by a group that he believes neglected his humanity.

In a town where there is no higher honor than a nod during award season, Fraser shows that he has even higher standards to uphold.

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Brendan Fraser issues an 'almost apology' for stunt gone wrong on 'George of the Jungle'

'My bad. It won't happen again'

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“My bad. It won't happen again”

Ladies and gentlemen of San Francisco, our beloved Brendan Fraser would like to clear the air.

While at a screening for “The Whale” at the Mill Valley Film Festival in Northern California on Oct. 13, the actor half-jokingly issued an apology to the nearby Bay Area for a stunt performed during the filming of one of his most iconic movies, “George of the Jungle.”

In his red carpet interview with SFGATE, Fraser recalled that the 1997 comedy featured a scene showing the effortlessly charming (and always shirtless) vine-swinging himbo rescuing a wayward parachutist who became tangled up in the Oakland Bay Bridge. As the heroic George is wont to do.

"I have almost an apology to make," Fraser said.

As Fraser explained, the stunt meant that a mannequin was hanging “from the uprights.” Unfortunately (and hilariously) no one got the memo that this mysterious person hanging on for dear life wasn’t actually a person at all.

“It brought traffic to a standstill on either side of the bridge,” Fraser said. And apparently, news traveled fast that day.

He continued, “My trailer was on the other side in a parking lot…I had the TV on, and ‘Oprah’ got interrupted because there was a special news report with helicopters saying a parachute is dangling on the bridge. And I’m going — wait a minute, I’m looking at the helicopters and TV — somebody didn’t pull a permit, somebody’s going to get in trouble with the mayor’s office. So I can only apologize for that.”

Here is the scene, to jog your memory and trigger your nostalgia:

To add insult to injury, Fraser kept referencing the Golden Gate Bridge instead of the Oakland Bay Bridge, but as SFGATE said, “It's been 25 years, so we'll give him a break.”

After receiving a lifetime achievement award at the festival, Fraser remarked, “My bad. It won't happen again” of the movie stunt gone wrong. He did not, however, mention whether or not he would look out for that tree, moving forward.

It’s nice to see Fraser soaking up the spotlight in such a lighthearted, positive way these days. The actor with lovable goofiness might have endured a Hollywood hiatus due to truly tragic circumstances, but his emotional resilience to all of life’s challenges is nothing short of inspiring. The fact that he’s made not only a career comeback—reuniting with former co-stars on the red carpet, receiving accolades for his current works, even being in talks to return to former franchises—but also held onto a sense of humor through it all, is evidence of his character.

Another attribute worth mentioning: Fraser’s compassion, which has seemingly been the leading major influence behind his work in “The Whale.” Though there has been some controversy surrounding Fraser donning a fat suit to portray the role of Charlie, who is obese, Fraser recently addressed the criticism. In an interview with Newsweek, the actor shared his hope that, regardless of people’s initial judgments, the movie "can change some hearts and minds at least in terms of how we think and feel about those who live with obesity.”

He added, "So often, those people are dismissed in our society, or the object of scorn and derision, and it's unfair to them. I believe that shaming people for that reason is almost the last domain of prejudice that we overlook, and I think we can do better to change that. So I hope that this film might change some hearts and minds."

Just Brendan Fraser having a huge heart. No big.

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Brendan Fraser's transformational new role reminds us exactly how far he's come in acting and in life

He's just getting started.

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Brendan Fraser plays 600-pound man in his latest film, "The Whale"

Brendan Fraser made headlines with his new starring role in "The Whale" and my teenage girl heart could not be happier. There's just something about seeing Fraser back on the big screen and in the spotlight that is really bringing about warm fuzzy feelings. Maybe it's the nostalgia from childhood or maybe its watching a well deserved comeback unfold. Either way, this is wonderful news.

In "The Whale," directed by acclaimed auteur Darren Aronofsky and based on a play of the same name, Fraser will be playing a man that struggles with obesity and is having difficulty connecting with his teenage daughter.

Fraser is understandably getting a lot of attention for his transformation into a 600-pound man in the movie which is remarkable to see. But to get to where he is now is also nothing short of remarkable. Fraser has gone through so much over the years to include publicly naming the person he alleges sexually harassed him, which contributed to him stepping back from Hollywood for years. Since making his return to the spotlight, Fraser has had a few instances of getting choked up when hearing from fans. It's probably the most pure moments people have seen in a while when it comes to Hollywood actors and fan interactions.


Fraser was once a household name, starting in 1992 with "Encino Man" and "School Ties." In fact, I'd wager to guess that a good majority of millennials grew up watching him on their televisions as the blue eyed goofy heart throb. His wide eyes made for hilarious facial expressions when he played in movies like "George of the Jungle." Over the past several years he's slowly been reentering the spot light and is currently staring in the series "Doom Patrol" on HBO Max.

In 2004 Fraser abruptly and quietly left the world of acting for nearly two decades only appearing in a small selection of films and series where it was speculated that something was going on with the actor. Eventually, his fans found out what caused him to walk away and appear so disconnected from the person we had all grown to love. He experienced a messy divorce, the death of his mother, physical ailments resulting from years of abusing his body to achieve a chiseled physique, and a sexual assault that left him distraught.

But it was his reaction in an interview from 2021 when he heard that the collective internet was rooting for him that made people gush over him even more. In the interview he was talking about working with the likes of Scorsese and the nerves of being back on set with such big names before the interviewer dropped the news about his cheering squad. It didn't take long to find that fans of Fraser will get their wish soon.

In addition to staring in "The Whale," Fraser is in another upcoming film. This one directed by Martin Scorsese, which is the film he expresses nerves about in the interview, "Killers of the Flower Moon." Recently Fraser attended a meet and greet where he was signing what appears to be a figurine box when the fan hit him with an emotion inducing comment, "thank you for making my childhood awesome." Again you see Fraser try hold his emotions together as he fist bumps the fan.

Fans are thrilled to see Fraser back on the big screen. One commenter on Twitter, Andrew, simply wrote, "OSCAR OSCAR OSCAR OSCAR OSCAR" under Variety's announcement of the film. Tiktok user Foxybecky444 wrote, "
I truly, to my core, I HOPE he KNOWS how loved and adored he is. This man is a PURE TREASURE." Fraser is a true feel good comeback story and I hope he has continued success on his upward rise.

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