Why Brendan Fraser Disappeared From Movies After Being A Superstar

Much to the delight of fans, Brendan Fraser is set to make a comeback with a role in the upcoming flick The Whale.

The 52-year-old star was ubiquitous in the '90s and 2000s with leading roles in George in the Jungle, the Mummy trilogy and Bedazzled, but Fraser stepped back from the limelight in the 2010s and has previously spoken openly about his reasons for doing so.

During a frank interview with GQ back in 2018, Fraser revealed that he was left battered and broken from years of doing stunts.

He said: "By the time I did the third Mummy picture in China, I was put together with tape and ice.

"I was building an exoskeleton for myself daily."

Fraser revealed he spent 'seven years in and out of hospital' due to the number of injuries he sustained while doing his own stunts.

He went on to share a lengthy list of various treatments and procedures he'd undertaken over the years as a result, including an operation to remove a portion of vertebrae in his lower back to make room within his spinal canal and two lumbar laminectomies after the first one didn't work.

He also admitted to dealing with various events in his personal life, adding: "I changed houses, I went through a divorce. Some kids were born. I mean, they were born, but they're growing

"I was going through things that mould and shape you in ways that you're not ready for until you go through them."

During the same interview, Fraser also alleged that he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in 2003.

Fraser told GQ that Berk had grabbed his bum and 'one of his fingers [touched him] in the taint'.

He said: "I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry."

Berk denied the allegations.

However, Fraser claimed the alleged incident resulted in work drying up.

"The phone does stop ringing in your career, and you start asking yourself why," he said.

"There's many reasons, but was this one of them? I think it was."

Fraser didn't return to acting until appearing on the small screen in 2015's Texas Rising, and also took roles in The Affair and Trust.Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19