Brendan Fraser (L); Matt Damon.Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Variety via Getty Images; Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Brendan Fraseris extended major gratitude to fellow actorMatt Damon.
The two actors costarred in the 1992 dramaSchool Ties, a film that marked both of their first lead silver-screen roles. And in a recent interview with IMDb,The Whaleactor thanks Damon for helping him get the part.
“When I did my screen test forSchool Tieswith Matt Damon, I was pretty fresh out of the academy — and it was a test, you know? You’re challenged for a reason, to see if you have a place in this world, in this medium, in this format,” Fraser, 54, recalled. “And I gotta say,it was Matt who I matched pitch with. I just knew inherently — not copy him, but run alongside, shoulder to shoulder.”
The result? “I think it worked – I got the job! So I have him to thank for that,” theGolden Globenominee raved.
Set in the 1950s,School Tiesfollows 17-year-old David, a Jewish high-school student from a working-class family (Fraser) who attends an elite prep school on a scholarship his senior year. There, he faces anti-Semitism and bullying from students and teachers, including Charlie (Damon, 52).
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Matt Damon and Brendan Fraser inSchool Ties(1992).John Seakwood/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Fraser recently threw it back to his early career daysin a conversation withhisAirheads(1994) costarAdam SandlerforVariety’s Actors on Actors series.
“Rememberwhen I discovered you? You were just a kid,” Sandler, 56, jokingly told Fraser. “I stole you fromPauly [Shore]and said, ‘Get over here.’ "
“Is that how it shook out? Get out of here,” Fraser responded.
“I was like, this guy shouldn’t just be a caveman — he should be in a band,” Sandler told Fraser, referencing the actor’s role in 1992’sEncino Man, in which he played a caveman named Link.
RELATED VIDEO: Brendan Fraser’s Amazing Career and Inspiring Comeback: Thank You for “Keeping Me in the Job That I Love”
Fraser first rose to fame in the early ’90s and, later that decade, with roles in comedy films such asGeorge of the Jungle, but achieved commercial success for his role inThe Mummyfranchise.
Now, Fraser is making his career comeback, which has since been dubbed the “Brenaissance” onTikTok.
He currently stars inDarren Aronofsky’sThe Whaleas Charlie, a 600-lb. reclusive writing instructor who tries to repair his relationship with his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie (Stranger ThingsstarSadie Sink).
The Whale, playing in select theaters now, opens nationwide Dec. 21.
source: people.com
