Here's How Brendan Fraser Is Preparing For His Hollywood Comeback

Brendan Fraser is a Canadian-American actor who is best known for his roles in The Mummy trilogy, George of the Jungle and Looney Tunes: Back In Action. However, despite being a popular actor in the '90s and '00s, he stopped film acting for a while and kept smaller TV roles. Now, Fraser is returning to acting with at least four movies on the way, and fans are very excited!

However, he had a good reason for stepping back from acting. Not only did he have to have several surgeries, including a partial knee replacement, a laminectomy and vocal cords surgery, due to stunts he performed in his action movies, but Fraser was also a victim of sexual assault.

In 2018, Fraser alleged that he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, at a luncheon in the Summer of 2003. The assault, his divorce and the death of his mother launched him into a depression, that combined with his health issues and backlash about speaking out over Berk, he believes caused his career to decline.

Here's how Brendan Fraser is preparing for his Hollywood comeback.

7 Fraser's Early Career

Brendan Fraser was a part of all of our lives in the '90s and '00s when he appeared in many Blockbuster films such as The Mummy, George of the Jungle, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Dudley Do-Right, Looney Tunes and many more films. Basically, everyone loved his unintimidating yet macho, 'everyday man' physique and his movies were pretty successful. He also proved his acting chops in more serious roles, and he was on top of the world. Until he wasn't anymore...

6 His Sexual Assault Claims And Career Decline

In an interview with GQ, the actor alleged that the HFPA ex-president assaulted him at a Beverly Hills Hotel in the summer of 2003.

Philip Berk talked about the assault in his memoir, "With Signs And Wonders," saying that he touched Fraser's behind as a joke. According to The Mummy actor, it was not a joke. He said he got scared and had to remove Berk's hand. “I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry,” he said.

Fraser rushed home to tell his wife but didn't come out with it publicly because he was still figuring out how it made him feel and didn't want it to be a part of his narrative. He asked for an apology from the ex-president, but Berk responded saying, "Mr. Fraser’s version is a total fabrication.” This incident caused Fraser to become a recluse and retreat from public life.

5 TV Acting

At the start of the 2010s, Brendan Fraser disappeared for six to seven years. He appeared in a few small roles here and there, but was not at the top of his career like he used to be. This was due to the fact that he did not feel comfortable after his assault, his co-parenting of his three kids after his divorce and his multiple surgeries. Fraser appeared in a few episodes of Texas Rising, The Affair, Trust and Condor, but eventually the phone stopped ringing.

4 His Comeback

In recent years, Brendan Fraser has returned to film acting and more prolific roles, and his career appears to be recovering. In June 2021, he appeared on the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival for his movie, No Sudden Move with his co-stars. In the film, Fraser plays Doug Jones, and it was released on HBO Max in July. He is set to star in The Whale, playing Charlie, a 600 lb. recluse, gay man who tries to reunite with his daughter as he struggles with health problems. If the film is well received, it could earn Fraser major critical acclaim and awards, which would be a great comeback for him.

3 Fans Rally For Him

Despite being out of the spotlight for years, his fans never went away. An unofficial Instagram page for the actor has garnered over 80,000 followers. They think he was wrongfully cancelled by Hollywood and have been very protective of him. Fans don't believe he was treated fairly. In 2016, fans started a petition on Change.org to help him return to the industry after they saw him acting in The Affair. Most recently, with the news of him returning to popular films, fans have been super excited.

2 Fraser's Reaction

Now that he is making his comeback, he is becoming more active on social media and is reacting to the support he is getting. The actor appeared choked up in a virtual meet and greet with a fan. Lindley Key, had shared photos of her cosplaying Rachel Weisz in The Mummy, and she posted a video of the conversation she had with Brendan Fraser. "The internet is so behind you. We're so supportive," she said. "There are so many people out there who love you," she continued. "And we're rooting for you, and we can't wait to see what you do next."

"Shucks, ma'am," he responded as he got emotional, tipping his cowboy hat.

1 The Brenaissance

Now, he is preparing to star in two more films- Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, which also stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro and Brothers, with Glenn Close. Many fans have been calling his comeback period "The Brenaissance," and have even made it a trending hashtag on Twitter. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of his comeback. We cannot wait to see what he does next!

NEXT: 10 Stars Who Almost Quit Acting...Right Before Their Biggest Role