Posted in: Movies, Universal | Tagged: brendan fraser, dwayne johnson, The Mummy Returns

Dwayne Johnson Says Brendan Fraser Helped Him Kick-Start His Career

With two decades of roles behind him, Dwayne Johnson says he credits The Mummy star Brendan Fraser for helping launch his career as an actor.

At this point, we are all obviously familiar with Dwayne Johnson for anchoring giant blockbuster movies and slipping into franchises as if it were second nature. However, the early stage of his acting career looked a lot smaller. His very first big swing as an actor came attached to a brief appearance in the widely successful film The Mummy Returns in 2001 (a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy), playing the Scorpion King before spinning that cameo into his first starring role a year later for the character's prequel/spin-off film titled The Scorpion King. That fast handoff from introduction to headliner set the tone for an expansive film career, and the once-small role in The Mummy still feels like a worthwhile watch, tethered to his growing filmography.

Now, during an appearance on the New Heights podcast, Johnson opened up about his career and said The Mummy lead Brendan Fraser was a big part of that early era.

Dwayne Johnson on The Scorpion King and Working with Brendan Fraser

Johnson shares, "Brendan Fraser, by the way, I always want to make mention of this. He was one of the biggest stars in the world. [The Mummy] was his franchise. I am coming in, I have never acted before, I'm excited. He could have easily said, 'I don't know if I want this wrestler.'" He also notes that the actor welcomed him to the fold, adding, "I love that man for that, and he helped kick off my career."

After The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King, the wrestler-turned-actor found himself working alongside major stars and joining several other franchises (or properties) along the way. Fast & Furious is probably the biggest example. He arrived as Luke Hobbs in Fast Five and became a pillar through sequels and the Hobbs and Shaw spin-off, plus a mid-credits return in Fast X. On a more family-friendly scale, Jumanji earned another steady run with both installments cracking nine-figure box office milestones during their run. If that's not enough, younger audiences might also recognize him as Maui in Moana and Moana 2, with a live-action Moana coming in 2026.

Still, all these years later, it's nice to see that after a long list of hits, Johnson still credits the small role that set him up for success.

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