The role that changed Brendan Fraser’s career
After a long hiatus from the industry due to trauma and depression, Brendan Fraser made a remarkable comeback with his Oscar-winning performance in The Whale. When we look at Fraser’s career trajectory, that is definitely the movie that changed everything for the George of the Jungle actor in the second half of his career, which already looks incredibly promising. However, there’s another film that he considers to be a standout game-changer.
The 1990s were a defining period for Fraser, who went from his minor film debut in Dogfight to starring in works like Airheads. 1992 was a particularly important year, especially because of the release of Encino Man, which has now become a fan favourite even among younger audiences who are interested in Fraser’s body of work. That very year, Fraser also appeared in another movie called School Ties, which proved to be an essential experience.
Directed by Robert Mandel, Fraser stars as David Greene, a working-class Jewish student who earns the opportunity to get into an elite school due to his sports skills. However, within that exclusive domain, he has to navigate important questions regarding his identity, bringing new realisations.
During a conversation with Howard Stern, Fraser opened up about how the project set his career on track. Initially, he was rejected when he auditioned for the role but he was given another chance a few months later that paved the way for something big.
Fraser recalled: “Eight or nine months later, I came back under a new casting director, and they said, ‘Ok, go meet Sherry Lansing,’ who was running Paramount. She said, ‘I wanna do a test with you… on Thursday.’ And in my naiveté, I thought it was like an exam or something like that… We went to the Paramount lot, and Tak Fujimoto was the DP, and Matt Damon was my scene partner. And I remember thinking, ‘He’s already got the job. This is my shot here. Don’t mess this up.'”
The actor added: “Making School Ties, in a way, I felt like David because his story is that he wants to belong, and at some point in our lives or another, we have all felt like we have our noses pressed up against the glass, and there’s something keeping us out. We wanna be a part of what’s in there. In this case, David wanted to be a part of this school. He wanted the camaraderie; he wanted the glory that sport brought him, but it came at a cost.”
Starring alongside Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who were also in the process of establishing their star presence in the industry, Fraser developed a mature performance that demonstrated how ready he was to take the next step in his Hollywood journey.
Watch the interview below.
