Brendan Fraser and Dwayne Johnson worked together for the latter’s film debut, and later, Johnson played a key role in Fraser’s resurgence and Oscar win for his performance in The Whale. The Rental Family actor credited his The Mummy Returns costar for the support that made his Oscar win a reality.
Brendan Fraser talks about Dwayne Johnson’s support for The Whale
Brendan Fraser did not have a linear arc in Hollywood. After his initial heights of fame, the actor was not around for a long time. He returned to prominence with an Oscar-winning performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.
The 57-year-old actor, who was the lead in Dwayne Johnson’s first-ever film appearance, credited the WWE star for his support, which, in part, helped Fraser in his massive achievement.
Speaking at Variety and CNN’s 2025 Actors on Actors series, Fraser said to Johnson, “I owe you a debt of gratitude because when I took The Whale with [director Darren Aronofsky] and the crew to Venice, and they applauded for a very long time and stayed on their feet — I’d never been there before. I didn’t know the whole ritual of it.”
“I was in tears when I watched you,” Johnson responded, recalling Fraser’s role in The Whale, which received universal acclaim. His performance received a six-minute standing ovation at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival. At the time, Johnson showed his support by posting the viral clip of this incident on his X (formerly Twitter) and penning a message for Fraser.
Fraser further called Johnson the “godfather” of the project for this support. He added, “I know! And you put your shoulder into that by showing your support through Twitter…Dwayne, you’re a godfather of sorts of the success of that project. Thank you for that.”
Johnson responded to this, saying, “Look, I’m happy to support you,” and added, “But also, that moment rocked me, and it moved me.” The two continued their discussion, with the pair also touching on The Smashing Machine, Johnson’s latest film.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
