On the internet we have a habit of lifting up certain celebrities. Keanu Reeves is beloved for his unrelenting kindness, Paul Rudd is admired for his ageless beauty, while Brendan Fraser has become a symbol of wholesomeness in a world seemingly devoid of it.
A generation of people who saw him in The Mummy trilogy grew up to find that the actor wasn’t a mainstay in Hollywood many of us expected him to be. After a series of injuries and personal setbacks he took a backseat, starring in a handful of films and shows while slowly cultivating a reputation as a lovable soul he seemingly wasn’t aware of until recently.
We remember films like George of the Jungle and Journey to the Centre of the Earth so fondly, as imaginative capers helmed by a man with boundless charm and personality. To see him fade into obscurity and be overwhelmed by a pervasive sadness was heartbreaking, so as he began to emerge once again, we lifted him up as a man worth admiring, who perhaps doesn’t even recognise his own brilliance and deserves a reminder.
Back in 2018, GQ published a touching profile piece that delved into exactly what happened to Brendan Fraser. Once a charming leading man on the rise, he vanished without a trace and appeared in a handful of smaller roles over the course of a decade. He’s still doing brilliant work, but compared to those who occupy current blockbusters he’s faded into the background and almost seems to be avoiding attention. That’s partly why his heartfelt appreciation of all the support being thrown his way means so much.
Set to star as Firefly in the upcoming Batgirl film, this role alongside a few others are being viewed as a Brendan Fraser resurgence, a deserved explosion back into the spotlight that will see this charming fellow standing alongside other big stars and finally receiving the attention he deserved. Hollywood has for so long been a vapid machine that feeds on ego, with movie stars often going along for the ride and becoming personalities that feed off positive attention. Fraser feels like the antithesis of that, a man who has been so beaten down over the years that he’s unsure how to take a compliment, often morphing into grateful nods, smiles, and comments whenever he’s on the receiving end of kindness.
The collective online landscape is behind Brendan Fraser, wishing him happiness and hoping a newfound recognition will be fostered as he resurfaces into the mainstream. He isn’t your typical leading man, but he doesn’t mean to me, thanks to the internet he’s subverted the need to fulfil such a position and can now just be himself. There’s just something about him that you can’t help but root for, and that’s kind of amazing.
Go and kick some ass, Brendan.
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