Why Brendan Fraser Is Having a Massive Resurgence
Just like with puppies or the feeling of grass between your toes, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like Brendan Fraser. Perhaps his movies aren’t your cup of tea, but the man Brendan Fraser is nearly impossible to hate. There’s an affable quality to the guy, a trait that served him well in his 1990s comedies, while so many modern-day adults grew up on a steady diet of Fraser star vehicles that there was bound to be some nostalgia for the guy. However, the modern-day resurgence of love for Fraser goes beyond just wistful yearning for the pop culture of yesteryear. The ongoing celebration of this actor speaks to a confluence of factors that have combined to give this guy a well-deserved renaissance.
Brendan Fraser's 90s Characters Were Hunky and Vulnerable
Part of what’s helped Fraser get a renewed life as a new actor isn’t just that he was popular in the 1990s, but the unique kind of roles he played in this era. In a decade that often highlighted musclehead action heroes and gross-out comedy stars, Fraser was often playing vintage himbos in titles like Blast from the Past, George of the Jungle, and other movies. In these titles, Fraser played a hunky dude who wasn’t the brightest bulb on the shelf, but who was committed to any lady that caught his fancy. Dig around on the internet and it won’t be hard to spot everything from academic essays to lengthy Tumblr posts waxing poetic on how Fraser's George from George of the Jungle, for instance, was a unique and wholesome portrayal of masculinity that stuck with viewers decades after they first saw it.
Inhabiting roles that stood out in this manner in the 1990s has gone a long way toward explaining why Brendan Fraser has endured as a beloved icon for many. While this wasn’t the default mold of masculinity in the era that Fraser got famous in, it’s still hard to find leading men just like him. Do Chris Pratt or Dwayne Johnson exude the softness or believable vulnerability that made Fraser such an icon? Whether you’re looking at his various performances through a reflective lens or comparing him to 2020s movie stars, it’s easy to appreciate the unique qualities of Fraser as an actor.
Brendan Fraser Gravitated Toward Wacky Comedies
It's also hard to forget about Brendan Fraser because of his fondness for really off-the-wall wacky comedies. A penchant for such strange creations as Monkeybone may have cost him steady conventional movie stardom in the 2000s, but they also ensured that he’s stuck around in people’s minds. While so many dreamboat leading men of the late 1990s and early 2000s were all starring in variations of the same movie, Fraser wasn’t afraid to get silly in something like Bedazzled. Plus, the most bizarre moments of a cult classic like his 2003 feature Looney Tunes: Back in Action have received a new lease on life in the age of the internet. A movie where Brendan Fraser plays Brendan Fraser’s stunt double may not have been appreciated when it was first released. However, those kinds of titles have stuck around and explain why so many have a fondness for an actor who rarely avoided the ridiculous.
With The Mummy, Brendan Fraser Ventured into the Cult Classic
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Of course, if there’s any Brendan Fraser cult classic that’s boosted his modern-day reputation, it has to be the 1999 film The Mummy. The Mummy has never been an obscure or even despised title, but the last decade or so has seen it take on a whole new life. This Stephen Sommers directorial effort has become highly appreciated for its unabashedly old-fashioned adventurous spirit as well as the way it’s resonated with strains of the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly those who identify as bisexual. Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, so too does a massive increase in appreciation for The Mummy lead to a renewed love for its leading man, Brendan Fraser.
The Limelight Began to Take a Toll
But not all the reasons why the internet has rallied around Fraser have to do with GIFs from The Mummy or Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Unfortunately, more tragic circumstances have heavily informed the modern-day perception of Fraser. In February 2018, a GQ profile on Brendan Fraser shed light on what had happened that led this movie star to vanish from the entertainment industry after 2010. For starters, doing the stunts in movies like the Mummy trilogy were taking an enormous toll on his body, requiring him to undergo several surgeries. But an even more pressing issue was Fraser's allegations that he was sexually groped by Philip Berk in 2003. In the wake of this, Fraser was overcome with depression and self-doubt, and he began to remove himself from the entertainment industry.
It’s always devastating to hear somebody suffering from the psychological aftermath of an alleged sexual assault. In the case of Fraser, there’s an extra layer of sadness because of the kind of roles and public persona he gave to the world. A man known for wacky slapstick and playing dudes who would rather be kind than punch people was grappling with crippling self-criticism for countless years. The dissonance there is shocking, a reminder that experiences of abuse can happen to anyone. With this story out in the open, there’s an extra sense of urgency to the affection surrounding Fraser on the internet. He’s spent much of his career grappling with his own self-worth, but the barrage of affectionate memes and anecdotes related to how much his movies meant to people, they’re the ultimate refutation of any idea that Fraser doesn’t bring anything to this world.
Hollywood Has Been Calling on Brendan Fraser Once More
It isn’t just the public that has been showing the love towards Brendan Fraser, though. Hollywood has also begun to regularly work with this leading man again as he’s managed to snag roles in new works from auteurs like Steven Soderbergh, Darren Aronofsky, and Martin Scorsese. Batgirl may have ended up getting shelved by Warner Bros. brass, but Fraser managing to score the film’s main villain role, Firefly, speaks to how elevated his profile has become in recent years. Everything from big-budget dramas to superhero movies has started calling his name again. With an increase in exposure in movies comes a natural increase in the already noticeable online fanbase he’s cultivated.
Brendan Fraser has never been somebody whose public persona required repair nor was he ever even that devoid of a fanbase. But the last few years have seen a steady rise in numbers and especially prominence in admiration for the performer. Whether it’s because of nostalgic fondness for the unorthodox movies he’s headlined, appreciation for his open vulnerability of his trauma, or any number of other factors, it’s easy to see why there’s been a resurgence of love for Brendan Fraser. Considering how the followings for movies like George of the Jungle or The Mummy only seem to grow every year, it’s doubtful that fanbase will wither away anytime soon.
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