How $50 and a bruised rib launched Brendan Fraser’s career: “Want me to do it again?”
If you’d only ever seen him in the Mummy movies or in some of his more questionable family films, then you probably never thought Brendan Fraser would ever win an Oscar. And yet, on March 12th, 2023, that’s exactly what happened.
The American-born Canadian was honoured for his performance as a severely overweight man in The Whale with the coveted ‘Best Actor’ prize, joining the very elite of the acting world. Fraser had been through a long journey since mixing things up with Daffy Duck in Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
This victory was particularly vindicatory given what had precipitated his loss of fame. Fraser made a public accusation against Philip Berk, who was then President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, of a sexual assault. The anger he elicited for accusing a powerful man led to a downturn in his career that he would take a very long time to recover from.
Blessedly, the karmic wheel turned back around in Fraser’s favour, and he is now basking in another run at the top. His resurgence made a lot of folks wonder where he started. Before he was a name on everyone’s lips, he, along with many other actors, honed his skills in a number of bit roles. One such part was in the 1991 coming-of-age film Dogfight. As he told GQ, he got a lot more than he had bargained for.
“They gave me a sailor outfit, along with some other guys, and we did a punch-up scene with some Marines,” he said. “I got my Screen Actors Guild card and an extra 50 bucks for the stunt adjustment because they threw me into a pinball machine. I think I bruised a rib, but I was like, ‘That’s OK! I’ll take it. I can do it again. If you want, I’ll break it. You want me to do it again?’”.
The movie stars River Phoenix as a young Marine who engages in a bet with his friends to bring the ugliest date to a party. He opts for a young woman played by Lili Taylor (giving a very underrated performance), but quickly realises he has made a horrible mistake when he starts to genuinely fall for her. A clearly recognisable Fraser starts a fight with Phoenix’s character and his pals. His name is actually misspelt ‘Brenden’ in the film’s credits.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take much time after this for Fraser to land his first starring role. In 1992, one year after Dogfight came out, he played a thawed-out caveman adapting to modern life in the cult classic Encino Man. Also known as California Man in some territories, the film was a sleeper hit and quickly established Fraser’s comedy chops. He even beat out Ben Stiller for the role, which is pretty good going.
From breaking his rib in a fake barfight to collecting the biggest acting prize of them all, Brendan Fraser’s career is like a Hollywood movie in its own right. Maybe Stiller can play him in the biopic, as payback for losing that role all those years ago.
