Why Hollywood Won't Cast Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser seemed to be everywhere at the turn of the millennium. He was headlining goofy kids adventure comedies, leading a mainstream franchise, and nabbing roles in critically favorable films. When you put it all together, Fraser has one of the most impressive bodies of work in Hollywood, from his critically acclaimed roles in School Ties and Gods and Monsters, running all the way through mega-hits such as The Mummy and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Simply put, we love Brendan Fraser.

But his star power has dulled over the years, leading many to wonder: Why is Hollywood giving Fraser the cold shoulder? Could it really all have been because of that weird clap he did at the Golden Globes in 2010? Nah, there's a lot more to the story than that. Here's a look at some reasons this once-busy actor has been so absent from the screen scene lately and why we think he can turn it around.

Fraser's appeal as the lovable doofus in George of the Jungle didn't quite translate to other franchise hopeful films. Not only did Dudley Do-Right do wrong, but Monkeybone (2001) was a dissed and dismissed non-starter, and perhaps most tellingly, his attempt to lead a live-action take on the Looney Tunes animated world sputtered out with a lackluster reception to Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). Fraser gave the goofball game that had made him a name one more go with Furry Vengeance (2010), but that movie was a disaster on all fronts and solidified the fact that Fraser's silly screen demeanor just wasn't getting kids to the ticket booths anymore.

Once The Mummy franchise was clearly dead, Fraser had a real chance at following his Journey to the Center of the Earth success into a new franchise land, but he held out on signing on for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) out of loyalty to the first installment's director, Eric Brevig, who was tied up finishing another project at the studio's desired time of production. Rather than waiting on either party, the studio replaced the director and brought in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to take Fraser's place, and the film did just fine without them, with several sequels expected to follow. Ouch.

In a GQ story published in February 2018, a 49-year-old Fraser opened up for the first time about alleged harassment that changed the course of his personal and professional life and further isolated him from the Hollywood scene. The actor claims he was mortified after being groped at a luncheon in 2003 by Philip Berk, former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The unfortunate experience left Fraser feeling ostracized. "I felt like someone had thrown invisible paint on me," he said, adding, "It made me feel reclusive. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me."

Though he didn't go public with the accusation, Fraser did notify the HFPA, which he believes may have contributed to his career downturn. "I don't know if this curried disfavor with the group, with the HFPA," he said. "But the silence was deafening."

Berk told GQ that Fraser's version of the incident was a "total fabrication." He reportedly sent the actor an apology letter but "admitted no wrongdoing," adding that Fraser's career "declined through no fault of ours."

Fraser disagreed. "The phone does stop ringing in your career, and you start asking yourself why. There's many reasons, but was this one of them? I think it was," he said.

After speaking out about the alleged groping, Fraser seemed ready to turn the page. But then the HFPA conducted a private investigation and asked him to sign off on a joint statement that cleared Berk of wrongdoing and framed the whole incident as "a joke and not a sexual advance," according to GQ. Frasier declined. "I don't get the joke," he told the mag. He requested the full report from the investigation rather than the summary he was provided. The HFPA would not give Fraser the full report, which prompted even more skepticism from the actor. Now, he not only wants Berk to step down, but he also wants to help dismantle what he calls the "unwritten" system that kept him and so many other victims of sexual assault and harassment quiet in the interest of powerful entities.

"I want to end this episode, this chapter, in my own life and career and move on, just as I'm hopeful that others will be able to in years to come," Fraser said.

In a statement to GQ, the HFPA once again condemned the encounter between Berk and Fraser as "inappropriate" but reiterated the findings of its investigation.

According to some sources, the setback Fraser was referring to in his aforementioned petition was a back injury he sustained while attempting to clear away yard debris from Hurricane Sandy with a chainsaw. His injury reportedly even required corrective surgery and intense physical therapy and may prevent him from being able to do his own stunt work, as he had in prior productions. If true, that would support his claim that medical concerns could limit his future earning potential.

After the "Sad Brendan Fraser" video went viral, Fraser fans orchestrated a Change.org petition addressed to Netflix, HBO, Showtime, and other networks to encourage those companies to consider him for future opportunities. More than 46,000 signatures had been collected by the time of this writing. "Brendan has been in multiple interviews recently and has appeared to be very down and out," the petition said. "And us loyal fans feel like we are obliged to help him out in any way possible. Please help us get Brendan back on his feet again, we miss him." 

Earlier the same year, Reddit users devised a plan to hit social media with demands that Fraser make it into more roles, particularly on the small screen, even going so far as to pitch specific shows and arcs they felt he'd be a good match for, like AMC's Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul. After so many misses on the silver screen, perhaps the boob tube is where he really belongs right now. After all, it is a golden era for TV.

Momentum means a lot in Hollywood, especially when it comes to a good comeback story. In Brendan Fraser's case, there's reason to believe that he may already be back on his feet. Fresh off The Affair, which showcased an all-new sort of screen personality, and with the reactions to the Fraser-less Mummy reboot showing some nostalgia for his talents, he has eased right back into some high profile gigs.

He snagged the lead in an Indian mafia thriller called The Field, was part of A&E's impressive cast for Texas Rising, and even signed with a new talent agency. He also starred in the 2018 sci-fi romance Behind the Curtain of Night as a man who sees past lives after dying in his present one. He also starred in the critically-acclaimed FX anthology series Trust, starring alongside Oscar-winner Hilary Swank and Golden Globe-winner Donald Sutherland. According to Vanity Fair, it was Fraser's performance as Fletcher Chase, an eccentric private investigator, that gives Trust "a surprising jolt of electricity whenever he appears on-screen."

It sounds like the table is set for a big career comeback, and we're excited to see Fraser rise to the occasion.