Oscar winner Brendan Fraser is fortunately pausing his Brenissance 2.0 to cheer on a buddy. As Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson earns early acclaim for his susceptible flip within the upcoming The Smashing Machine, the George of the Jungle veteran star lit up when requested about his former The Mummy Returns (sorta) scene companion stepping right into a bruising status function — and probably the thick of awards season.
Whereas selling his personal 2025 film schedule launch Rental Household, Fraser spoke with Folks at TIFF. TheWhale star stated it’s “thrilling” to see Johnson on this new section, recent off competition raves and headed for a busy fall. In his phrases:
Dwayne, he is a very nice man and it is gonna be thrilling to observe him emerge from this. I predict you may be seeing much more of him on these crimson carpets within the days to return.
That endorsement lands with additional heat given their shared historical past. Johnson’s big-screen debut got here reverse the Crash actor in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, although the two technically by no means spoke on set, however they’ve traded assist ever since. When Fraser’s The Whale comeback drew standing ovations in 2022, Johnson publicly cheered him on and recalled how the Brothers performer welcomed him into the favored Mummy franchise for his first movie function. Fraser referred to as that message “very nice,” a small gesture followers of each males nonetheless cite as a spotlight of the Brenaissance.
Johnson’s newest efficiency, as MMA legend Mark Kerr within the upcoming A24 launch, has been framed as a deliberate shift away from motion film franchise mode towards one thing extra susceptible. The Venice-to-Toronto buzz has solely stoked curiosity about how far the star is keen to peel again the persona. With a U.S. and Canada theatrical date set for October 3, the stage is about for a second, very totally different act from the man who as soon as turned up because the Scorpion King.
Brendan Fraser is aware of that terrain. Two award seasons in the past, he rode competition love all the way in which to Greatest Actor for The Whale, a task that requested him to be current, uncovered, and unguarded. His learn on Johnson — “you’ll be seeing much more of him on these crimson carpets” — sounds much less like wishful considering and extra like recognition. He’s seen how a single, absolutely dedicated efficiency can realign a profession, and he’s greater than a bit certified to acknowledge the telltale indicators {that a} acquainted face is about to shock numerous viewers members.
In the meantime, the Doom Patrol alum is conserving his personal momentum. Although he’s been candid about being “choosy” along with his subsequent roles, he lastly has a follow-up: Rental Household, which might put him again within the award season combine. He performs an American actor in Tokyo employed by a “rental household” company to face in for strangers, and the movie is about for a November 21 launch.
This post-Oscar run has taken him from Killers of the Flower Moon to intimate competition fare. And the Brenaissance practice refuses to hit the gasoline but—he’s taking one other measured swing along with his upcoming D-Day film Stress, reportedly one other seize the tissues entry. With every new function, Brendan Fraser’s comeback seems much less like a blip and extra like a mission to maneuver audiences with heartfelt, memorable work.
If The Smashing Machine turns into Johnson’s gateway to the status circuit, the Inkheart actor is the proper particular person to welcome him to the occasion.