At the turn of the millennium, Brendan Fraser seemed to be everywhere.
He was headlining goofy kids adventure comedies, leading up a mainstream franchise, and nabbing
roles in critically favorable films.
When you put it all together, Fraser has one of the most impressive bodies of work in Hollywood,
from his critically acclaimed roles in School Ties and Gods and Monsters, running all the
way through megahits like The Mummy and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Simply put, we love Brendan Fraser.
Over the past few years, though, his star power has become significantly duller, leading
many to wonder: Why is Hollywood giving Brendan Fraser the cold shoulder these days?
Here's a look at some reasons this once-busy actor has been so absent from the screen scene
lately.
Facing the flops
Fraser's bankability as a big name was called into question pretty early on in his rise
to fame.
While the actor enjoyed some commercial successes, like George of the Jungle and The Mummy, he
also suffered some serious stinkers at the same time, like Blast from the Past and Dudley
Do-Right, both of which had critics laughing for all the wrong reasons — and certainly
didn't draw much audience interest.
The Mummy Returns gave him a much-needed momentum swing back in the right direction, and he
went on to nab a role in the critically-favored Crash before jumping into another action-adventure
realm in Journey to the Center of the Earth.
But after that, his inability to drum up an audience really started coming to light.
"Um...kay."
Fraser fatigue
Fraser's appeal as the lovable doofus in George of the Jungle didn't quite translate to other
franchise hopeful films.
Not only did Dudley Do-Right do wrong, but Monkeybone was a total non-starter.
Perhaps most tellingly, his attempt to lead a live-action take on the Looney Tunes animated
world sputtered out with a lackluster reception.
Fraser gave the goofball game that had made him a name one more go with Furry Vengeance,
but that movie was a disaster on all fronts.
It solidified the fact that Fraser's silly screen demeanor just wasn't getting kids to
their ticket booths anymore.
Burying The Mummy
While the first Mummy sequel came along pretty quickly after the original installment and
successfully capitalized on the excavation adventure craze, the third movie was slow
going, despite the successes of the first two films.
So, by the time The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor rolled along, audiences were over
it, having moved onto alternatives like Nicolas Cage's National Treasure movies and even the
franchise spin-off, The Scorpion King.
The Mummy 3 didn't exactly bomb, but its domestic receipts were less than either of its predecessors,
and led to the franchise being left to decay until Fraser was replaced by none other than
Tom Cruise for the 2017 reboot.
Killing a comeback
Once The Mummy franchise was clearly dead, Fraser had a real chance at following his
Journey to the Center of the Earth success into a new franchise.
But he held out on signing for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island out of loyalty to the
first installment's director.
Rather than waiting on either party, the studio just replaced the director and brought in
The Rock to take Fraser's place.
The sequel did just fine without them, with several sequels expected to follow.
Ouch.
"I trust you master,"
"Good!"
"Ow!"
The joke was on him
Celebs becoming part of the meme machine can help their popularity.
But for Fraser, his internet infamy was more of the awkward and unsettling variety than
endearing.
At the 2010 Golden Globes, he was captured in a moment of exuberance that was so unusually
enthusiastic it spawned a new meme category all its own:
"Few times I been around that track so it's not just gonna have been like that, cause
I ain't no hollaback girl."
To many, the memes proved that Fraser was funnier by accident than on purpose in his
movies.
Yikes.
Personal setbacks
When the getting is good, there's no business like show business.
But having such impressive tax returns in the archive can leave an actor paying through
the nose for their former glory during a divorce, even after the opportunities dry up.
Fraser and his ex-wife Afton Smith, whom he met in 1993 and had three sons with, announced
their divorce in 2007 after nine years of marriage.
They reached a settlement for her alimony and child support award in 2009.
However, the situation turned publicly ugly between them in 2013 when, as his career momentum
slowed, Fraser petitioned for a reduction of his reported $900,000 a year payment schedule.
His ex claimed he'd hidden funds and future film deals at the time of their 2009 settlement,
but he reasoned that he expected to make no money whatsoever — as in zero dollars — in
the future and would be relying on the assets he'd earned prior to the petition for payments,
due to unspecific medical issues which "considerabl[y]" affected his workflow.
Insult to injury
According to some sources, the setback Fraser was referring to in his reduction petition
was a back injury he sustained while attempting to clear away yard debris from Hurricane Sandy
with a chainsaw.
His injury reportedly even required corrective surgery and intense physical therapy rehabilitation
and may prevent him from being able to do his own stunt work, as he had in prior productions,
which would support his claim that medical concerns would limit his future earning potential.
Sad Fraser is sad
In December 2016, Fraser reemerged to discuss his guest role in Showtime's The Affair, and
the appearance went viral...for all the wrong reasons.
Viewers of the segment remarked at how melancholy the actor appeared during his discussion of
the series and his career at large, especially when the subject of wanting to avoid being
typecast as the goofy accidental hero came up.
If there was any lingering doubt that Fraser's slew of setbacks were taking a toll on the
actor, this was proof.
Crowd comes calling
Some Fraser fans responded to the sad viral video by organizing a Change.org petition
addressed to major networks to encourage them to cast him.
Thousands of signatures flowed in for the plea, which begged the channels to "help get
Brendan back on his feet again," and the petition also cried foul on Fraser not being asked
back for any role in the Mummy reboot.
Earlier the same year, Reddit users had devised a plan to hit social media with demands that
Fraser make it into more roles, particularly on the small screen.
After so many misses on the silver screen, maybe the small screen would be a good fit
for Fraser.
"I'll do it.
Don't think I wont!"
Time for a turnaround
Momentum means a lot in Tinseltown, especially when it comes to a good comeback story.
In Fraser's case, there's some reason to believe that he may land on his feet again.
With The Affair offering him an all-new sort of screen personality, and the Fraser-free
Mummy reboot drumming up some nostalgia for his role in launching the franchise in the
first place, there's a chance his next role could mark a step in a new turnaround trend.
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