Dwayne Johnson Owes His Acting Career to Brendan Fraser, and 21 Years Later He Is Returning the Favor

He might be a Hollywood A-lister and one of the highest paid actors working today, but in the early 2000s, Dwayne Johnson was struggling to make it as an actor. And Brendan Fraser was the main reason he was able to land the role that would jumpstart his career. More than 2 decades later, The Rock never forgot his friend’s generous gesture, and we can’t get enough of the ongoing bromance between these 2 beloved actors.

Dwayne’s challenging transition to acting.

After being a big champion in the world of pro wrestling, Dwayne wanted to shift into acting, but this seemed to be more challenging than he expected as he discovered that his wrestling background was “an obstacle.” The Rock explained that people didn’t really take his acting aspirations seriously because “they thought he’s gonna be in Hollywood maybe a couple of years, make a few movies, and then he’s out.”

The kind gesture from Brendan which meant a lot.

However, one actor believed in him and was the reason the pro wrestler-turned-actor got his breakthrough role. At the time, Brendan Fraser was at the height of his career, having starred in big movies like The Mummy. And in 2001, The Rock was cast in the role of The Scorpion King in the sequel The Mummy Returns, and he gives major credit to Fraser for the fact that he got the part.

Johnson reflected that, as the big star of the franchise, Brendan “had to okay” him being cast for the role. And Dwayne recalls the director telling him, “Brendan loves this idea and is so happy you’re in the movie.”

He explained that the trust Brendan had in him gave him all the confidence he needed as he was starting this new career path. The Rock noted, “I’d just come from WWE... And I get that kind of nod of acceptance from the star of the movie, it really meant a lot to me.”

The Rock’s career had a meteoric rise.

Thanks to this part, The Rock went on to have a leading role a year later in the movie The Scorpion King. And of course this was a huge step forward in his acting career. And as the years went by, the 50-year-old became one of Hollywood’s most respected mega stars and one of the highest paid entertainers. But he never forgot, Fraser’s support when he needed it the most.

And more than 20 years later, as he was walking the red carpet for his latest movie, Black Adam, Dwayne once again mentioned Fraser. He recalled, “Brendan said, ’Come into my franchise [...] He welcomed me in when he didn’t have to. And I never forgot it.’”

Fraser shunned away from the spotlights.

After being at the peak of his career in the late ’90s and early ’00s, Fraser had smaller roles in the following years and ended up stepping away from the spotlight in the late 2000s due to several personal hardships.

In 2022 however, he made a major comeback thanks to his highly praised leading role in The Whale.

As Fraser returned to acting, Johnson was his number 1 supporter.

54-year-old Fraser received a minutes long standing ovation and huge amounts of love and praise from critics and fans alike. And one of his biggest supporters as he was relaunching his career was Dwayne Johnson himself. The star tweeted his support and joy to see Fraser back on the big screen. He then, once again, mentioned his colleague’s past act of kindness.

The Rock wrote, “This makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan. He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success, brother.”

Looking at the mutual support and affection between these 2 men, we’re reminded that a gesture of kindness can go a long way and can have a life-changing impact on a person’s path. Dwayne and Brandon are so inspiring, and we hope to see them for many long decades to come on our screens.

What do you think of these 2 actors? Have you ever received a kind gesture that had a major impact on your life?