Brendan Fraser is appreciating Dwayne Johnson’s support.
For his role in The Whale, which represents a significant comeback for the star, known for blockbusters like The Mummy and George of the Jungle, 53-year-old Fraser is garnering attention from the awards community.
After video of Fraser breaking down during a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival went viral, Johnson, who costarred with Fraser in The Mummy Returns from 2001, tweeted support for him.
“Man, I’m so ecstatic to watch Brendan receive such a lovely ovation. He encouraged me to take my first job in his Mummy Returns trilogy, which launched my Hollywood career “Johnson, 50, wrote. “I’m pulling for your continued success, brother, and I’m happy for my friend Darren Aronofsky. #TheWhale.”
Fraser responded to Johnson’s support by telling Variety at Variety’s New York Party on Wednesday, “I thought that was incredibly lovely of him.”
“At the after-movie reception for The Mummy Returns, I first ran into him. Even though we were fighting on TV, we hadn’t truly met till then. But each time we “worked together,” he was little more than a bit of tape on a stick. So saying “Hey, man” was sweet. What’s up? We have finally met!”
He laughed, “He could go with me. He’s only a bit of tape on a stick, so I could take him!”
In a recent Variety cover story with The Whale director Darren Aronofsky, Fraser expressed his willingness to reprise his Rick O’Connell from The Mummy role in a future sequel.
I’m not sure how it would operate, he replied. But if someone had the appropriate concept, I’d be game for it.
He also discussed the Tom Cruise-starring 2017 revival, stating it lacked the “Fun” factor: “That movie is difficult to make. Fun was a quality that our Mummy possessed that I didn’t notice in the new one. That was the thing that was missing in that form. It was an overly straightforward horror film. The Mummy should be exciting, but not horrifying or frightening.”