"I think I just need to let some arrows fly."

February 22, 2018 9:12 AM

What Ever Happened to Brendan Fraser?
posted by Zeinab Badawi's Twenty Hotels (100 comments total)

I JUST finished reading this, it was quite sad. And I have to say I'm really rooting for the guy. I'm ready for a Brendan Fraser Renaissance.
posted by Windigo at 9:20 AM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]

I have always adored him. I was so moved by this piece. I'm glad it got the writer it did and that Fraser was willing to be so open and vulnerable. I hope Terry Crews has reached out to him.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 9:26 AM on February 22, 2018 [14 favorites]

A reminder that people are often dealing with a lot more than they let on.
posted by bonehead at 9:31 AM on February 22, 2018 [50 favorites]

That was really sad to read. He seems quite vulnerable.

My partner and I grew up watching his movies. Despite some weird movies, he seemed a bit under-rated as an actor. And my partner admitted on many occasions that she had a crush on Mr Fraser.
posted by greenhornet at 9:31 AM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]

This is a really beautiful piece, and thanks for posting it. I always made it a point to see movies he did; I agree he was very underrated. In addition to Gods and Monsters, have a look at The Quiet American, if you haven't already. He was very fine in School Ties, as well; that was the first time I saw him, and although although I didn't actually remember that Damon and Affleck were in that picture, I sure remembered him.
posted by holborne at 9:36 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]

The descriptions of his back and knee surgeries and recent stories about the action-scene caused health issues that actors like Rose McGowan and Uma Thurman have dealt with make me think that Hollywood is almost as bad as the NFL in the way that they force young people to destroy their bodies for our entertainment.
posted by octothorpe at 9:36 AM on February 22, 2018 [49 favorites]

Gods And Monsters is one of my favorite movies. Also—this—

"His eyes are pale and a bit watery these days—less wide than they used to be when he was new to the screen, playing guys who were often new to the world. Blue-gray stubble around the once mighty chin, gray long-sleeve shirt draped indifferently over the once mighty body."

—is pretty much me these days. I'm feeling ya, Brendan.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:40 AM on February 22, 2018 [21 favorites]

I could definitely see him as Superman, he'd have been much better than the forgettable hunk who did get the job for Superman Returns. On the other hand, a Bret Ratner Superman movie would have been even worse than the film we did get from Singer.
posted by octothorpe at 9:43 AM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

Fraser was somebody you could always rely on to sell the shit out of whatever he was contractually obligated to say and do, and he always made it enjoyable. That should have been sufficient to make him appealing to the people in charge of high-profile major movies, and it's a shame he never really broke out of his niche.
posted by ardgedee at 9:43 AM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]

Fraser was never a top tier star. He never had the power to push his own projects, so he kept accepting horrible disposable comedies, because money, but that's short term thinking. It even eventually bit Carrey in the ass, which is why you see someone like Steve Carrol moving heaven and earth not to be That Guy.

Also, the fact that Fraser isn't aging well certainly doesn't help. Just like Depp, neither actor can still get away with using their looks to bail them out of bad career choices. While it's worse for actresses, by a mile, actors are not completely immune to it.
posted by Beholder at 9:44 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]

he'd have been much better than the forgettable hunk who did get the job for Superman Returns

Brandon Routh! Who is, kind of ironically considering the discussion, doing a really stellar job in a Brendan Fraser-like role on Legends of Tomorrow, an arrowverse spin-off.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 9:45 AM on February 22, 2018 [17 favorites]

He could star in a Ted Cruz biopic.

Maybe that's the problem.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

So weird. Someone in our slack channel posted the laughing/clapping Brendan Fraser meme. And then another person asked, "Whatever happened to Brendan?" And then this hits.

I just linked to it in the channel because this piece was great to read. I'm glad that he's focusing on his own life and his family. It's heartening to know that he's doing better. Good for him and his family.
posted by Fizz at 9:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

The Mummy (1999) was the Indiana Jones sequel we deserved, tbqh.
posted by entropicamericana at 9:49 AM on February 22, 2018 [78 favorites]

Brandon Routh! Who is, kind of ironically considering the discussion, doing a really stellar job in a Brendan Fraser-like role on Legends of Tomorrow, an arrowverse spin-off.

Brandon Routh was, and is, amazing. For all of Superman Returns's many many flaws, that casting wasn't one of them.

I grew up on Brendan Fraser's movies too, and he always projected a kind of earnest optimism into his roles that was ... really refreshing.
posted by kafziel at 9:50 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]

i wish to shit i could "not age well" like brendan fraser and johnny depp
posted by entropicamericana at 9:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [83 favorites]

Brandon Routh was, and is, amazing.

Strange national delusion. Watched him on Chuck and Arrow and part of the first season on Legends of Tomorrow, and he's...adequate. His diction is a real problem.

I had wondered what happened to Brendan Fraser, but not looked him up because I didn't want to know if he had become a terrible milkshake duck. I feel quite sad for him and can sympathize on feeling older and like your body is letting you down and being not quite sure about your choices and your place in the world.
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:59 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]

He was surprisingly good in The Quiet American.

I hope he makes a comeback.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:02 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]

He was amazing in The Affair. That season had me wondering why I was still watching it, but like other shows on HBO and Showtime it has unexpected riches in casting and acting. Thank heaven for them really. They have also pretty much given a career to really good people like Perry Reeves (Entourage).
posted by BibiRose at 10:09 AM on February 22, 2018

Mod note: A few comments removed. If your opening salvo is "I didn't actually read the article, but..." you should probably stop typing and wait till you've had a chance to read the article. If you find yourself opening with that often, then that goes double.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:20 AM on February 22, 2018 [79 favorites]

I JUST finished reading this, it was quite sad. And I have to say I'm really rooting for the guy. I'm ready for a Brendan Fraser Renaissance.

Brendaissance, clearly.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:21 AM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]

But clearly, it had been a bad decade: “I changed houses; I went through a divorce. Some kids were born. I mean, they were born, but they're growing up. I was going through things that mold and shape you in ways that you're not ready for until you go through them.”

Fraser pauses, and his eyes seem to well up, and for the first time in this litany of surgeries and loss, he seems like he might not want to continue. I ask if he needs a break.

“I'm okay,” he says. “I think I just need to let some arrows fly.”

He excuses himself as I ponder what this means. A few minutes go by. When he returns, it's with a leather quiver full of arrows strapped to his back. He steps out onto his porch. Outside, he lofts a bow, nocks an arrow. Down below on his lawn, maybe 75 yards away, is an archery target. He releases the arrow straight into the target's center. Bull's-eye. Then nocks a second arrow, and does it again.

Finally, he exhales. “I feel a lot better now,” he says. He hands me the bow: “Okay, now you try.”

What a guy.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [55 favorites]

Haven't met him myself, but he's a good friend of a good friend. From what I've heard, he really is as genuinely nice as he seems. I wish him all the best.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]

Fraser was never a top tier star.

Really? The Mummy made over $400 million. So did its sequel. So did the sequel to that. But, yeah, okay.

It even eventually bit Carrey in the ass, which is why you see someone like Steve Carrol moving heaven and earth not to be That Guy.

The straw that busted Jim Carrey’s hump was Bruce Almighty. Steve Carell starred in the followup Evan Almighty, and a dozen generically disposable films thereafter.

What are you even talking about.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [33 favorites]

Brandon Routh was, and is, amazing. For all of Superman Returns's many many flaws, that casting wasn't one of them.

Thank goodness for this comment, because I didn't want to let the slight against Routh stand unchallenged. He was wonderful in Superman Returns.
He really channeled his inner Christopher Reeve, which was exactly what was necessary for that movie.
Everything else about it sucked, but NOT Routh.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 10:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [17 favorites]

airplane rescue scene was pretty much perfect superman, especially his little speech to the passengers at the end

but i can't watch that movie without wondering what horribly skeeviness routh had to face between singer and spacey
posted by entropicamericana at 10:35 AM on February 22, 2018 [17 favorites]

Ditto on Routh awesomeness. The crooked smile and wave he gives Lois in the crowded elevator was the very essence of Clark Kent.

As for Brendan Fraser, I have a personal favorite movie moment of his. And based on that, I'd love to see Nathan Fillion stop by his house, give him a warm friendly hug (cause it sounds like he really needs one), and then let Brendan punch him three times in the face for old times sake.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 10:43 AM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]

Just like Depp, neither actor can still get away with using their looks to bail them out of bad career choices. -- Beholder

Eponysterical, maybe, but are we looking at the same person? Because the images I find for "Brendan Fraser 2017" seem to show a pretty darn good looking 50-year-old man.
posted by rokusan at 10:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]

I can totally understand wanting to shoot some arrows. Especially when he's good at it, too. I mean, if he was welling up and talking about all this tough stuff going on and thinking about that sexual assault that he had no control over, having control over shooting a fucking arrow into a fucking target's bullseye is a great way to feel better about yourself and more in control.

You gotta love a guy who falls in love with and takes home a horse named Freckles.
posted by jillithd at 10:50 AM on February 22, 2018 [42 favorites]

i remember liking Monkeybone when i saw it way back when
no idea if it holds up to rewatching (oddly tomorrow is the 17th anniversary of the release, gulp)
posted by kokaku at 10:53 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

I lovvvveed Brendan Fraser. If he was in a film, I'd watch it, just for the comedy and action that he displayed in the Mummy (Good lord Tom Cruise, why did you mess with it?). I was going through a thing when that film came out, and I watched it like it was the best thing since fireworks. Again and again. Lighthearted enough for a Nick and Nora film, and action like Indiana Jones. I appreciate the moments of relief and laughter he helped bring from his films; it really lifted my spirits. I'm sorry to hear they caused him such pain.

Always rooting for Fraser. Seems like a man who has been on quite a path.

Brendaissance, 2018!
posted by anitanita at 11:01 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]

Loved him in everything he did. Special shout-out to his several guest spots on Scrubs as Dr. Cox's brother-in-law. No spoilers. What a lovely performance and what a lovely man.
posted by tzikeh at 11:06 AM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]

I hope Brendan and Terry Crews and Anthony Rapp speaking out helps other men do what they need to do to heal after abuse, whether that's go public, go to therapy, tell someone about it, etc.

I remember watching Blast From the Past with my sisters and I didn't realize it was a different movie than Back to the Future, which I never saw... that made for some interesting conversations with people who were talking about BttF for many years.

I couldn't articulate what made him so likeable in those movies as a teenager and I appreciated this author's take on it. He seems like the kind of guy who would say "I'll give it a shot" to just about anything you needed him to do.
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]

I remember watching Blast From the Past after college and thinking, "that was the stupidest movie ever and yet TOTALLY AWESOME."

Hope that he's finding support in the new MeToo atmosphere these days.
posted by Melismata at 11:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]

I loved Gods and Monsters. It's one of those amazing films I hope to never see again, like Requiem for a Dream or Monster's Ball or Irreversible. The kind of film that sticks with you long after it has stomped your heart. Fraser was fucking amazing in that movie, and he brought out the best in Ian McKellen (or perhaps the other way around). Ironically, there's a scene in that movie that pretty closely mirrors what he recounts in this story.

I couldn't get past that the same guy who did Encino Man and Airheads had managed to deliver this kind of performance. I couldn't figure out why he was wasting his time with claptrap like George of the Jungle when he could be making films that mattered. (Yes, I understand the conceit of that statement). But Fraser always seems was underrated to me as well, but I always felt these were mostly self-inflicted wounds in that it's had to take a guy who does mummy movies seriously (and I loved him in those movies).

I'm glad to see he's able to still keep his head up, and I hope he keeps going.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:34 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]

i wish to shit i could "not age well" like brendan fraser and johnny depp

I hope most folks took what I wrote to mean compared to other actors his age, such as Pitt, Reeves, and Cruise. Yes, Fraser looks a thousand times better than I do, but Fraser isn't competing with me for film roles, either. Ahem.
posted by Beholder at 11:42 AM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Focusing on his looks is a really weird place to double down.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 11:44 AM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]

I admit that my favorite Brendan Frazier movies are The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, but both are just such perfect fun action movies. The whole cast in both films is great (Rachel Weisz! Arnold Vosloo! Super-annoying and hilarious character actor Kevin J O'Connor!) and the action is fun and not bloody! There's another person who has disappeared from Hollywood: director Stephen Sommers. Probably because he made that crappy Van Helsing movie, but these movies were so much fun. A big part of that was Frazier's performance in both, and I wish he'd done more like that. Although I guess the toll on his body was too much.
posted by dellsolace at 11:49 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]

I liked the remake of Bedazzled, although nobody else did, I guess.
posted by lagomorphius at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2018 [14 favorites]

As an AFAB sexual assault survivor, I empathize with him and how that added to his struggles at what sounds like a really rough period in his life. Other people have it worse is almost always true about anything, but I think it's still ok to talk about how this person has and is dealing with his own life without pitting him against the awful way fame treats women. It's totally true that it's awful, but fairly unrelated to him.

On preview - I completely agree with tzikeh. Especially when dealing with the incredibly stigmatized issues of male victims of abuse, the conversation should be allowed to stay on men or on this particular man who is being super brave by including the disclosure.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 11:53 AM on February 22, 2018 [21 favorites]

I really liked the Bedazzled remake! I thought I was the only one.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 11:54 AM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

One birthday years ago, a bunch of girlfriends took me out for dinner, and Brendan Fraser was sitting alone at the next table. He kept looking over, not lasciviously, but as if he were enjoying the fact that we were having a good time. I'm not one to bother celebrities at dinner but I'm still kind of sorry we didn't say hi.
posted by OolooKitty at 12:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [24 favorites]

No, I was just about to post that Bedazzled is the best Brendan Fraser movie. “When is that darn sun gonna set?!”
posted by Autumnheart at 12:08 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]

I liked the producer who is quoted in the article about loving to see former stars become great character actors later in their careers, because that is a thing I really like as well. I've always loved character actors, ever since I was a kid watching old movies on Bill Kennedy at the Movies every day after school on WKBD (Detroit) and fell in love with ZaSu Pitts.

I agree with the article about him being an actor who brings solid qualities to all his roles. I think of Jensen Ackles like this--say what you will about him, he is an actor who will throw himself 100% into whatever ridiculous thing they give him to do on Supernatural, and I think there's a lot to admire in that. Maybe he will have a second career as a character actor when (if) Supernatural ever goes off the air.
posted by Orlop at 12:09 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

Everyone I know has been in love with Brendan Frasier since they ever saw him in a movie. Like dead serious, full on LOVE. Somehow none of us thought to seek him out (in a, hey let's Google how our dearest crush I'd doing kind of way). We just assumed he was taking a breather. This is not what I expected at all. I am so sad for him.
posted by Hermione Granger at 12:22 PM on February 22, 2018 [22 favorites]

Read the article again. I desperately want to hug him and tell him I am sorry.
posted by Hermione Granger at 12:28 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]

yeah Hermione, I'm like, dude, you deserve all the raddest things and the bestest of friends and lovers.
posted by Annika Cicada at 12:39 PM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]

I too figured that it was because he had the audacity and misfortune to age poorly, among a generational cohort of leading men who were equally talented actors without the looks problem. Shallow, yeah, but it’s Hollywood, of course it’s shallow. Maybe even more so when an actor’s bankability is built largely on his ability to “act while beautiful”. But time is the great equalizer.

I hadn’t considered the cumulative damage of a physical career, and I certainly wouldn’t have considered having the trauma of sexual assault to overcome on top of it. I’m glad we’re at a point in the national conversation where he can talk seriously about his experience and have it treated seriously.
posted by Autumnheart at 12:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]

Brendan Fraser (I still remember him correcting Letterman(?) 20 years ago, "Fray. Zerr.") has probably never received a penny from my pocket in residuals, but he's always seemed like a right-on guy. At the very least, he's an indelible participant in the "Don't weaz the ju-uice" scene, which is an all-time quotable.
posted by rhizome at 1:04 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

wasting his time with claptrap like George of the Jungle

George of the Jungle is a beautiful movie about the dangers of toxic masculinity that also has a lot of dumb animal pranks and I will not hear it slighted in my presence.

Also, if you want to have your heart just RIPPED OUT OF YOUR CHEST (after 20 minutes of good fun and Fraser-centric physical comedy), go watch Scrubs episode 3.14. He is phenomenal in it. I know someone here already mentioned it, but I wanted to list the specific episode in case anyone feels like dropping by Netflix.
posted by a fiendish thingy at 1:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [32 favorites]

I liked the remake of Bedazzled, although nobody else did, I guess.
I did.
I also liked the original, but not as much.
posted by linux at 1:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]

He excuses himself as I ponder what this means. A few minutes go by. When he returns, it's with a leather quiver full of arrows strapped to his back. He steps out onto his porch. Outside, he lofts a bow, nocks an arrow. Down below on his lawn, maybe 75 yards away, is an archery target. He releases the arrow straight into the target's center. Bull's-eye. Then nocks a second arrow, and does it again.

Finally, he exhales. “I feel a lot better now,” he says. He hands me the bow: “Okay, now you try.”

Still Breathing was the movie where I actually got really enamored of Brendan Fraser, and I was left with the distinct impression that Brendan and Fletcher were not more than a stone's throw apart. This has not disabused me of this notion.
posted by Sequence at 2:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

tbh "let some arrows fly" really does sound like a metaphor for something else
posted by mhum at 2:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]

I'm realizing now that Brendan Fraser sort of fits my Hobie Doyle from Hail, Caesar!-shaped space in my head.

Thanks for posting this article. What a tough time he's gone through; I wish him the best. And this article really drives home -- you really don't know what battles strangers are fighting, and sexual harassment that happens just once can really do a number on a person.
posted by brainwane at 2:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

I'm glad to hear he's getting good work again.
posted by rmd1023 at 2:34 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

He is human, as are we all. I hope the interview helped him; his honesty is brave.

As for me: I think "The Mummy" is one of the all-time best action/adventure movies - it has danger, amazing FX, wonderful acting, life-threatening drama, just enough humor -- and Fraser nails it and makes everything work. He is/was a tremendous action star.
posted by davidmsc at 2:50 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]

Ahhhhhh, thank you for this. I recently went through a Mummy binge (maybe a month ago? Back when I was sick with the Flu From Hell). I was super obsessed with The Mummy when I was a teenager -- there was a period of my life where I watched every week, if not every day. I could probably quote you just about any moment of that movie, and it still delights me whenever I see it. What a perfect film.

As I was doing my Mummy re-watch, a friend and I were talking about how awesome these movies are, and how great that era of Brendan Fraser was, and we wistfully wondered what happened to him. Like, literally, we asked each other the title of this piece.

So thanks for linking to this article, and thanks to Brendan for sharing these obviously super personal stories that he's kept close and quiet about for so long. It's heartbreaking to realize he had his own #metoo moment that's affected him for so long. I also vaguely feel like I remember the speculation about him being the next Superman (and how On Board I was for that, thanks to my Mummy love), and while that may have turned is career into another direction, I wonder at the toll it would have further taken on his body.

I haven't heard of his new show, but thanks to this, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out whenever it reaches the streaming services.

(I also really adore Blast from the Past, which I feel is an underrated gem.)
posted by paisley sheep at 2:53 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]

Came here to post this - I'm part of the Brendan Fraser generation, must've seen School Ties 3 or 4 times as a teen and his performance in that still sticks with me. I remember reading a terrific interview with him in Movieline (RIP) magazine, where he discussed his love of Magritte and spotting Gary Larson in Seattle.

He had a longer run as a movie star than all but a handful of actors, he pulled off broad comedy with a lightness of touch a la Lloyd, Chaplin, and Mostel, and I can't think of many of his peers who have so much goodwill behind them (Keanu? Winona?) I am all on board for seeing him on screen again. But mostly, I want him to be happy, to feel heard, and to know how much pleasure he's given audiences.

And may all those abusive manipulative assholes in Hollywood feel the fear and insecurity they've sown to their victims.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 3:04 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

He's just so charming. And significantly more thoughtful and articulate than I expected. But he's always seemed like a stand up, decent sort of guy. I am so sorry to read about his sexual assault, and so impressed that he was brave enough to talk publicly about it.

I wish him well, I hope he finds happiness.
posted by biscotti at 3:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

a fiendish thingy: Also, if you want to have your heart just RIPPED OUT OF YOUR CHEST (after 20 minutes of good fun and Fraser-centric physical comedy), go watch Scrubs episode 3.14. I know someone here already mentioned it, but I wanted to list the specific episode in case anyone feels like dropping by Netflix.

3x14 is the second episode his character is in. You (general you) need to start with ep 1x22, in which he's first introduced. It sets up ep 3x14.
posted by tzikeh at 3:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

Ugh, I forgot about his guest appearance on Scrubs. Those are the best episodes, too. Largely because of him.
posted by paisley sheep at 3:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

What a great article.
He really was quite good in everything he was in. I remember him being really captivating in School Ties while, as mentioned above, I don't remember anyone else in the film. And I'd forgotten all about Gods and Monsters but holy shit that was a good movie. I really hope he gets some peace now that he's released the fucking awful burden he's been carrying for so long. And I'm really happy to see he's working on quality stuff again, seemingly on his own terms this time.
posted by chococat at 3:42 PM on February 22, 2018

I always enjoyed Brendan Fraser's movies. No matter how silly the "gimmick" was, he was always fully committed, fully "on", and having a great time and it made the audience have a great time too. At some point though, it felt like he was maybe too earnest, too sweet, too guileless for Hollywood or some of the general public to continue liking without feeling like they were sacrificing their cool cred. I noticed sometime around 2005, it suddenly became cool to hate on people like Fraser, who might not set the pond on fire, but are still just good, dependable entertainers and don't cover everything they do with a veneer of blasé disinterest. I remember that silly meme that went around a few years ago with him laughing and clapping goofily at the Golden Globes, and yeah it was funny, but some of the joke seemed to be a little mean too, like it was a moral failing on Fraser's part for being dorky in public.
posted by katyggls at 3:43 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

I loved him in Gods and Monsters.

I read this and I feel like want to drive to Bedford, knock on the door and ask if he just wants a hug.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:49 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

I hope someone is telling him about the outpouring of love for him all over the internet (he shouldn't read it because people are also cruel and awful as a knee jerk reaction and i don't want him to see those things). I also wish I could just sit with him or give him good vibes from a respectful distance away or whatever. I just want him to know that we all love him and have loved him.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 4:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]

I want to send him a really nice card. Can we get him a gift basket or something?
posted by gucci mane at 4:12 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]

I've had a big soft spot for Brendan Fraser ever since School Ties (still a great movie), and I remember seeing pictures of him and his now ex-wife together looking very in love in their early days, so when he sort of fell off the face of the earth I figured it was part of the divorce process for him and hoped he'd pop up again. I'm so sorry to hear about the struggles he's gone through, but I really admire him for being willing to be so vulnerable and honest about those struggles. Add me to the hug brigade, but also, can he teach me how to shoot arrows? I could really use some stress relief right now.

(Is Blast From The Past streaming anywhere? That seems like a great thing to unwind with tonight.)
posted by palomar at 4:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

I had never heard of him when I saw "Gods and Monsters" and I thought "Wow, what a promising young actor". [Orlop, I was watching Bill Kennedy, too!]
posted by acrasis at 4:17 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

The whole article is really heartbreaking and so sad, I would really recommend that the Blue actually read the whole thing before commenting, for once.
posted by yueliang at 4:21 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

The key to Brendan Fraser's onscreen appeal has always been his air of vulnerability - a quality that, when combined with beefy masculinity, makes for a sweetly appealing heartthrob. I guess it turns out Fraser's vulnerability isn't just for the screen; it's who he is, for better or worse.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 4:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]

I am thinking of getting in touch with the writer of this article to ask if they would be open to passing along some fan mail. Do you think that would be weird? I have been thinking of him all day.
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

I think it's safe to say that Jason Segel is assuming Brendan Fraser's role in the Hollywood casting machinery, without the fluff movies (which to be fair probably could not be avoided in the 90s).
posted by rhizome at 5:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

Hermione - I don't think that would be weird at all.
posted by tzikeh at 5:23 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

I am thinking of getting in touch with the writer of this article to ask if they would be open to passing along some fan mail. Do you think that would be weird?
It’s funny how many people had the same instinct. I thought about sending him a positive note of support right after I read the piece, but couldn’t think how to do it. Then I wondered if he was on twitter and quickly realized duh of course he’s not (thank god.)
posted by chococat at 5:34 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]

I was wondering recently why he seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth.
posted by sarcasticah at 5:56 PM on February 22, 2018

There were some articles like this about Kevin Costner (minus the awful sexual assault, of course) a few years ago, and now he's in a bit of a comeback. I hope the same thing happens for Fraser, too. There's a lot of talk about Mediocre White Man these days, justifiably, but this is a good reminder that some guys get lumped in with that who don't actually deserve it. I wouldn't say he's a great actor, but he's always been a pleasant, enjoyable actor. School Ties was a pretty big movie for me, and Airheads is arguably a top-five funniest movie ever. I'm rooting for him.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:57 PM on February 22, 2018

Everything I can find says Fraser is with Gersh Agency as of 2016. I don't know if that's of any help.

This story about Berk is spreading very quickly today. I hope that, if there are any other victims of Berk's, this will help them to come forward.
posted by tzikeh at 6:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

i remember liking Monkeybone when i saw it way back when
no idea if it holds up to rewatching (oddly tomorrow is the 17th anniversary of the release, gulp)

kokaku, I really liked Monkeybone (primarily because of my pre-existing affection for Fraser) though I haven't watched it recently. It's a mess of a movie, but I remember the director's commentary track resolving some things for me, as he grumps his way through explaining what he'd intended to do as opposed to what he was able to do, and how he never wanted to do another live-action feature again and would rather stick to stop-motion so he wouldn't have to deal with studio interference, since executive suits don't hang around a set where there are no movie stars.

The other thing about Monkeybone that I remember strongly is seeing Fraser on a talk show (Graham Norton, maybe?) once being asked about acting with an imaginary character, and he did a little demonstration of acting like Monkeybone was there on the couch with him, and he was so convincing. Like, reacting to green-screen is one kind of acting skill, but, Fraser's ability to physically interact with imaginary things is really stellar I think. It's one of the things that made The Mummy so good, and he does it so well he makes it look easy, but seeing him do it on a chat-show couch really impressed me.

Anyway, count me as another fan of Fraser (and Bedazzled!) who's sorry to hear he went through the wringer.
posted by oh yeah! at 6:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]

People reports in his 2014 memoir With Signs and Wonders: My Journey from Darkest Africa to the Bright Lights of Hollywood, Berk recalled pinching Fraser's butt “in jest.”

Uh, so it's not "a complete fabrication," as Berk is saying now.
posted by rhizome at 6:25 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]

Monkeybone is awesome, although my favorite scene is not one where Fraser appears (the re-animated organ donor being chased by furious transplant surgeons).
posted by um at 6:49 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

This may or may not be the interview that oh yeah! is thinking of, but it's delightful: Brendan Fraser and Martina Navratilova on Graham Norton.
posted by Lexica at 7:06 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

I was always proud to say he was an alumnus of my alma mater, rather than derided as not being a "serious actor" - I also remember really enjoying Bedazzled.
posted by sweetmarie at 7:19 PM on February 22, 2018

I'm glad that he has a horse to take care of him, and is working and feeling better about himself. In this interview he sounds just as good and decent and even more interesting than I thought he would be.

Aside from The Mummy, I freely admit to loving Airheads.
posted by monopas at 7:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]

That poor guy.
I can't speak to his body issues, but honestly, his face looks pretty good to me. There's a few former famous hotties that I can't even recognize them any more because somehow their heads changed so much.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

I try to not project a personality on an actor because I understand that I in no way actually know anything about who they are. Like, I really, really get that.

That said, Fraser brought a genuine, vulnerable, earnest/honest quality to his work that made me assume/hope he was at least in some way as sweet as he seemed.

This interview made me feel that I was not entirely offbase and confirms that I would very much like to wave shyly at him from a distance or send a nice but not creepynice greeting card to him and his horse.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 10:16 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]

Another recommendation for the Scrubs episodes where he appears. I remembered him vaguely from The Mummy, a film I found rather boring at the time, and was floored by his performance on Scrubs. I wish he had had the career he deserves.
posted by anzen-dai-ichi at 6:05 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

He has, and will always be one of my favorite actors. He's just a bit older than me, but I can feel a lot of parallels with where his career changed and his life went through various large-brushed turmoils. As acknowledged up above, The Mummy was the spiritual successor to Indiana Jones and Brendan Fraser's real life has lived up to the famous quote, "It's not the years honey, it's the mileage." Ain't that the truth.

Lets put this out there: he abused his body for work. He was sexually assaulted by someone in power (allegedly but with a weird non-admittance of guilt apology from the person in power). He raised 3 kids, one of which - the oldest of which - is on the spectrum and needs a different sort of attention (not mentioned, but can be inferred if you've got a special needs kid that really breaks the mold). And, he got divorced, in the middle of this - no reasons sited, but if you want to read the gossip rags on whether $50k a month for the past 10 years from an actor no longer at the top of his game to an actress and author who also has to deal with all these same issues is fair... Neither has publicly dated anyone else... Which means - life is not and has not been Sunshine and Lollipops for any of them. I can understand him taking up archery to clear his head.

I actually hadn't realized he'd still been working. I had 0% interest in seeing The Affair before... but now... don't make me do it Fraser... don't make me do it. Somebody tell me he phoned it in and he's awful...
posted by Nanukthedog at 6:07 AM on February 23, 2018

“Something good came out of something that was bad,” he says. “Sometimes it takes a while for that to happen.”

That's hard-won wisdom.
posted by MrVisible at 6:33 AM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]

Blast from the Past, which I feel is an underrated gem.

Back when our family had cable television in the late 90s, this was always on TBS on a loop and I would finish it off. It's just a charming performance.
posted by Fizz at 6:48 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

I sincerely hope he's speaking with someone about the fact that he was sexually assaulted. That he is not trying to process what happened and its toxic emotional aftermath without help. Men sometimes react to such violations by stuffing them down, ignoring them and pretending they never happened. (This is obviously not a reaction that is unique to men.) We may believe that if we can move on and not think about what was done to us, everything will be fine. We'll get through it. Except, life doesn't work that way. Trauma affects us. Even when we think we're too strong or our lives are too busy. With sexual assault there are further emotions to deal with: shame, guilt, anger, rage, sadness, etc., etc. Those who have been assaulted tend to blame and hate themselves. even though they are not at fault. We often question and obsess about what happened. Especially since (as that asshole Berk is doing) their attackers almost always gaslight them.

His entire life was derailed by the incident. The surgeries were no doubt part of what he would have had to deal with, but I suspect he would have handled them differently had he not been assaulted. He seems to realize that the incident was a catalyst which pushed him into a self-destructive mindset. He seems aware that he has some form of PTSD. And he's concentrating on things he loves, which is wonderful. But I hope he's not trying to get through it alone.
posted by zarq at 8:28 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

Brendan Fraser used to come into the cafe I worked at in the early 90s. I'm not sure why he was in town; maybe he was doing a play or dating someone from the area. This was after School Ties, but before much of anything else. I didn't recognize him as a movie actor at first, but one of the other girls did and got all swoony in back when he'd come in. Regardless, he stood out. He's quite tall irl, and he was stunningly handsome in that way where you think, 'how is this person even real and really standing in front of me?' Plus, he was always neatly dressed in clothes that fit him well and never had a hair out of place. This was unusual in peak grungeboy-era Seattle.

He was a very nice customer who never made a fuss and always tipped decently. A good egg.
posted by lovecrafty at 8:39 AM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]

(Twitter) Anne Helen Peterson, in response to a Columbia Journalism Review interview with the author that is also in itself worth a read: "No one owes an audience information about their personal trauma. But I do wish publicists would see that transparency & reflection, instead of canned lunch interviews, can produce the best sort of publicity."
posted by rewil at 10:10 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

I would like to gleefully point out that /r/literalbrendan is trending over on Reddit today.
posted by MrVisible at 10:17 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]

/r/SAVEBRENDAN are being really super awesome and supportive.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 10:35 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

On a lighter and far less mature note, this quote:

"The naïf cum babe in the woods cum new guy in town cum man-boy cum…visitor-in-an-unusual-environment..."

...makes me wonder whether gq ended up with some interesting search analytics.
posted by Riki tiki at 5:03 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]

Brendan Fraser used to come into the cafe I worked at in the early 90s. I'm not sure why he was in town; maybe he was doing a play or dating someone from the area... ...unusual in peak grungeboy-era Seattle.

How early in the 90's? Because he graduated from Cornish in 1990, and his first movie, 1991's Dogfight, was at least partially shot in Seattle.
posted by palomar at 6:07 PM on February 23, 2018

Like a lot of people in this thread, I’ve always enjoyed Fraser’s work and wondered where he went or what happened to him. He just always seemed like a good man as well as a handsome actor. I hope this is the start of a comeback for him, if that’s what he wants.
posted by harriet vane at 7:17 AM on February 24, 2018

George of the Jungle is a beautiful movie about the dangers of toxic masculinity that also has a lot of dumb animal pranks and I will not hear it slighted in my presence.

I haven't seen George of the Jungle in YEARS, but here's a pretty convincing tumblr post about how it's the rare movie not made for the male gaze.

Brendan Fraser always seemed kinda uncool when I was a kid, but I've grown to appreciate him since rewatching some of his movies. The performances in the Mummy are strong enough to make up for the outdated CGI...and Blast from the Past is SUCH a great 90s movie, I love it. They're both incredibly FUN movies, and in large part because of Brendan Fraser's acting. I hope he's doing better.
posted by grandiloquiet at 5:45 PM on February 25, 2018 [3 favorites]

No love for Darkly Noon? That is a strange wee movie.
posted by gnuhavenpier at 5:58 AM on February 28, 2018

Something I remembered from when it happened: the screenplay for Gods and Monsters won the Oscar that year, and the three stars - Brendan, Ian McKellan, and Lynn Redgrave - were all sitting by each other. During screenwriter Bill Condon's speech, the camera cut to the three of them a couple times - simply becuase they looked so damn happy.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:16 AM on February 28, 2018