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'You took a risk on me': Dwayne Johnson's heartfelt thanks to Brendan Fraser

Thenjiwe Qwabe|Published

In a touching exchange, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson reveals how Brendan Fraser's support for his casting as the Scorpion King was the pivotal moment that launched his Hollywood career. The two stars share mutual admiration as they reflect on their intertwined professional journeys.

Image: Twitter/ @WrestlingNewsCo

Dwayne Johnson appreciates Brendan Fraser for backing his role as the Scorpion King in “The Mummy Returns”, which launched his acting career.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Brendan Fraser had a heart-to-heart conversation. Johnson remains grateful for the initial recognition he received before achieving widespread fame. Despite having minimal screen time of five minutes as the Scorpion King, Johnson viewed this as an opportunity to kickstart his acting career.

He was deeply moved when he learned that Fraser had not only supported his idea but had embraced it wholeheartedly. "It really meant something to me," he recalled, "because not only was it your franchise, and you took a shot and a risk on me, someone who had never acted back then, but it also kicked off my career and led on to ‘The Mummy Returns’."

Fraser showed no regrets in pushing for Johnson’s casting instead, insisting there were no other choices and expressed Johnson to be deserving of the role, “When I was shown you, I said that’s perfect, that’s inspired casting. We’ll be lucky to get the guy.”

Johnson expressed his lasting gratitude for Fraser’s support during the movie's production, reflecting on his pride in Fraser's excellent performance in the role.

Fraser paused their conversation to express gratitude to Dwayne. Surprisingly, the two actors exchanged compliments regarding their movie performances, delighting fans.

Fraser also expressed appreciation to The Rock too, “I also owe you a debt of gratitude because when I took ‘The Whale’, with Darren and the crew to Venice, and they applauded for a very long time standing on their feet, and I’ve never been there before. I didn’t know the ritual of the ceremony,” he expressed.

“You put your shoulder into that by showing your support on Twitter,” he added, and he called him the godfather of that project.

They both acknowledged the significant impact they had on one another's careers after first appearing together in the same films, with Johnson specifically citing Fraser's influence.

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