Dwayne Johnson recently shared how Brendan Fraser significantly impacted his career, specifically through their work together on The Mummy Returns. Fraser started a successful Mummy movie franchise in 1999 alongside Rachel Weisz. The first film’s success led to a sequel where Johnson joined the cast as the Scorpion King, following his rise to fame as a professional wrestler.
In a recent episode of the Variety and CNN series Actors on Actors, Dwayne Johnson and Brendan Fraser talked about their careers and their time working together on The Mummy Returns. Johnson shared how grateful he was for Fraser’s support when he was first starting out as an actor, recalling that Fraser readily accepted him despite Johnson’s limited experience.
When Dwayne Johnson first mentioned wanting to be in The Mummy Returns, he was told that Brendan Fraser was enthusiastic about the idea and happy to have him join the cast.
Johnson has said that casting Brendan Fraser in The Mummy Returns was a big gamble, as Fraser had no prior acting experience and the film was part of a very popular series. He was grateful that Fraser and the producers agreed to take the chance.
I wish I could start by sending you flowers to show my gratitude. I’m thinking of delivering a ton right now! We first met while working on The Mummy Returns, which was a huge movie franchise at the time, and I was just starting my acting career in Hollywood. You could have easily dismissed me, considering I came from professional wrestling and had no acting experience. But I heard you were enthusiastic about giving me a chance, and you welcomed me warmly. That meant the world to me, because you took a risk on someone new, and now, years later, here we are. I really want to thank you for changing my life.
Dwayne Johnson’s first movie role in The Mummy Returns proved to be a turning point in his career. He easily moved from professional wrestling to acting, and he continued with the Mummy series by starring in The Scorpion King, which later spawned four more films.
Johnson continued his acting career with roles in many popular films, including The Game Plan, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Hercules, Moana, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Skyscraper, Jungle Cruise, Red Notice, Black Adam, and several of the Fast and the Furious movies.
After receiving flowers from Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Brendan Fraser said Johnson was the perfect person for the role. Fraser admitted he hadn’t known Johnson well before, but after watching some of his early work, he thought he was a fantastic choice.
The producers were looking for someone to play the Scorpion King who audiences would really dislike, but also find compelling. They needed an actor with strong self-assurance and a powerful presence, and Dwayne Johnson was perfect for the part.
That’s very kind of you, Dwayne. You were always the perfect choice for this role. Honestly, I didn’t know much about your wrestling background when I first heard you were being considered. But after seeing your work, I immediately thought it was brilliant casting – we’d be so fortunate to have you. Playing a villain that people love to hate requires a larger-than-life presence and a lot of self-assurance. In wrestling, you already had that – you’re used to making a big impact.
As they say, what happened next became legendary. The Mummy Returns earned a massive $435 million at the box office, despite costing only $98 million to make, making it the highest-grossing movie in the entire Mummy series.
However, reviewers were much less impressed with The Mummy Returns. The original film received a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (with audiences giving it a 75%), but the sequel was considered ‘Rotten’ with a score of only 46%.
| Brendan Fraser’s Mummy Trilogy | Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics) | Rotten Tomatoes Score (Audience) |
| The Mummy (1999) | 63% | 75% |
| The Mummy Returns (2001) | 46% | 63% |
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) | 13% | 30% |
Last month, it was revealed that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz will both be back for another Mummy movie. Fraser says this next film is the one he’s always dreamed of making.
Look, whether Dwayne Johnson and Brendan Fraser will share the screen again is anyone’s guess, but The Mummy Returns was a truly memorable film for both of them. And honestly, it really kicked off Johnson’s career in a huge way – it’s the movie that put him on the map, in my opinion.
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2025-12-08 22:33