Brendan Fraser fights back tears after Dwayne Johnson sincerely thanks him for 'Mummy' casting
"You're too kind, Dwayne."
Brendan Fraser and Dwayne Johnson.
It’s hard to believe there was a time when Dwayne Johnson was known only as “The Rock,” one of the biggest stars in WWE history. But all of that changed in 2001 when he was cast as the Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns, a sequel to the 1999 blockbuster starring Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser.
The Mummy Returns led Johnson to star in The Scorpion King (2002), and he’d rise to be one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood. Johnson had the opportunity to thank Fraser personally for his success in a recent installment of CNN and Variety’s co-produced Actors on Actors.
The Mummy Returns kicked off Dwayne Johnson’s film career
"[The Mummy] was one of the biggest franchises in the world at that time, in our industry, beloved around the world, and you were the face of that franchise,” Johnson told Fraser. “The flowers I want to give you is, I was ready to make my transition into Hollywood, and I was excited, and I had this opportunity to be cast in your movie as the Scorpion King. I remember meeting with Steven Summers, our director, and I met with all the folks at Universal, and I was so excited, but I knew, because they told me, 'You know, we're just going to talk to Brendan first.'"
Casting Johnson, then known as The Rock, in the role was a significant risk for the production. If his acting was flat or people couldn’t shake his wrestling persona, it would have really dragged the production down. But Fraser thought it was a great idea to roll the dice.
Johnson was shocked that Fraser wanted to take a risk on casting him
"This is a beloved franchise; it felt like Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the word that I got back was, 'Brenden loves the idea. He welcomes you with open arms.' It really meant something to me, because not only was it your franchise, and you took a shot and a risk with me, who'd never acted back then, but also, that kicked off my career,” Johnson continued.
Fraser appears to well up as he gracefully accepted Johnson’s gratitude. "You're too kind, Dwayne. You were always the right guy for the job,” Fraser responded. The funny thing was that Fraser wasn’t familiar with wrestling and didn’t know much about Johnson. “When I was shown, I said, 'That is perfect. That is inspired casting. That's fantastic. We'd be lucky to get the guy. Wow,’" he continued.
The rest is ancient Egyptian history.
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Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are going to return to the desert once again in a yet untitled fourth film in The Mummy franchise. The film is believed to follow the events of The Mummy Returns and ignore the 2008 flop, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. No other cast members from the previous films have been announced, but there are rumors that Johnson may be considering a return to the franchise.