After a long career pause, Brendan Fraser finally made his comeback with the 2022 film The Whale. He has been praised for his Oscar-worthy performance in the film. After his last hit, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Fraser struggled with giving more hits. He has also been vocal about the assault that caused him to go through depression. The No Sudden Move star has also said that he would not be attending the Golden Globe Awards even if he is nominated.
In his recent interview with GQ, Fraser talked about his most iconic characters. During this interview, the Bedazzled star also shared his experience working alongside Matt Damon in his first feature film and how the American actor helped him to get the lead role.
How Matt Damon Helped Brendan Fraser to Land the Role in School Ties?
Brendan Fraser landed his first leading role in the 1992 film, School Ties. The film is known to kickstart the careers of Hollywood stars like Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris O’Donnell. It received mixed reviews due to the heavy subject matter concerning antisemitism and prejudices.
Although it was not a huge hit at the box office, School Ties is still considered as one of the best films of Damon and Fraser’s career. Talking about the film with GQ, the George of the Jungle star recalled auditioning for the film alongside Matt Damon.
“My screen test for it [“School Ties”] was with Matt, and I knew that I needed to match the pitch with him. I wasn’t really certain how working for the camera differentiated from what I was accustomed to, having just, at that time of my life come out of training in a conservatory.”
The Encino Man star further shared that as he listened to The Martian star he was getting across what needed to be acted and conveyed. He praised Matt Damon by saying, “He makes you better.” He also claimed that his screen test with the Stillwater star helped him to get the lead role in School Ties.
Matt Damon Lost the Lead Role to Brendan Fraser
School Ties is still known for its significant cultural influence against hate. The cast of the film has been appreciated for their work over the years. It followed David Greene, a Jewish high-school student who received a scholarship at the New England prep school for his senior year of high school.
In an interview followed by the release of the film, Matt Damon shared that he lost the lead role in the Journey to the Center of the Earth star. He shared that he had been preparing for the role of David Greene for 10 months.
But after his screen test with Brendan Fraser, filmmakers told him that he was a better fit to play Charlie Dillon, the antagonist of the film. The Departed star shared that he was called and told that he would be playing Charlie Dillon and he only had one night to work on the character.
Brendan Fraser’s upcoming film The Whale is set to release on 9th December 2022.
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