Actor Brendan Fraser was one of the most popular and beloved comedy and action stars of the late ’90s and 2000s. He catapulted to fame behind blockbusters like “The Mummy” franchise, “George of the Jungle,” “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” and the Oscar-winning film “Crash.”
However, a confluence of events led him to put his career as a leading man on the backburner in the late 2000s.
Over the course of a decade, he would go through an ugly divorce with the wife of his three children. He suffered serious injuries doing stunts throughout his career and would undergo surgeries on his knee and vocal cords. In 2016, he lost his mother and in 2018, he alleged he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in 2003.
The series of setbacks pushed Fraser into a deep depression that further hampered his career.
Over the past few years, Fraser has experienced an upswing in his career. He currently stars in the HBO Max action series “Doom Patrol” and has upcoming roles in films by two A-list directors, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Over the weekend, Fraser made an appearance at the Calgary Expo where he did a Q&A with fans who seemed primarily interested in talking about some of the stranger films in his catalog; namely, “George of the Jungle,” “Encino Man,” “Bedazzled” and “Monkeybone.”
He also signed autographs at the event which led to a heartwarming exchange with two fans. A TikTok user with the user name imani.goulet posted a video of the interaction on Sunday, April 24, and it went viral with more than 2.4 million views. During the exchange, Fraser signs a Funko doll of himself for Imani and they bond over a common problem, an uncommon name.
“I’ve had a lifetime of people mispronouncing my name. I know what it feels like,” he tells the two women. As the girls leave the table, one says something that clearly touched Fraser’s heart.
@imani.goulet #brendanfraser #brendanfraserappreciation #brenaissance i love this man 🥹 my photo op with him and my signed funko are on my instagram: imani.goulet • everyone always says to never meet your heroes, i met mine and we almost burst into tears talking to eachother. thank you for everything brendan! ♥️
“Thank you for making my childhood awesome,” she says. “And mine too,” Imani adds. According to Imani, the words almost made Fraser “burst into tears.” The “George of the Jungle” star responded to the compliment with a fist bump.
“You can tell that last comment really meant SO much to him and I am HERE FOR IT,” a commenter named Kim wrote.
“Everyone always says to never meet your heroes, I met mine and we almost burst into tears talking to each other. Thank you for everything Brendan!” Imani captioned her video. “I hope he knows just how loved he is,” BV added.
The exchange shows that even though Fraser has been famous for four decades, he hasn’t become jaded and cynical and still enjoys it when a fan shows their appreciation. It’s that type of sincere reaction that has encouraged many people to root for Fraser over the last few years as he rebuilds his career.
@imani.goulet #brendanfraser #brendanfraserappreciation #brenaissance ♥️♥️♥️