Brendan Fraser Backed Dwayne Johnson for The Mummy Returns — And Launched His Film Career

Brendan Fraser helped launch Dwayne Johnson’s film career, championing him for The Mummy Returns and paving the way for his Scorpion King breakout.

File this under things I did not expect to type in 2025: Brendan Fraser and Dwayne Johnson just had a friendly Mummy Returns reunion, and it came with a legitimately sweet story about how that movie became Johnson's first big-screen job.

Quick catch-up: the show, the episode, the reunion

• Variety's Actors on Actors is back for season 23, and this time the series is moving from its usual home online to CNN thanks to a new partnership.
• One of the marquee pairings: Brendan Fraser (there to talk about Rental Family) sitting down with Dwayne Johnson (there to discuss his dramatic swing in The Smashing Machine).
• Bonus nostalgia: these two famously faced off back in 2001's The Mummy Returns as Rick O'Connell vs. the Scorpion King — yes, technically CGI but still iconic.

How Fraser helped launch Johnson's movie career

Before The Mummy Returns, Johnson was a crossover star from pro wrestling with zero film credits. When his name came up for Stephen Sommers' sequel, Fraser backed him hard. Johnson opened their chat by basically saying: you could have shut this down, but you didn't.

'You and I first connected on The Mummy Returns... I was ready to make my transition into Hollywood... The word I got back was, Brendan loves the idea. He welcomed you with open arms... I want to thank you for really changing my life.'

Fraser's side of it is very 'trust the instincts' energy. He admits he didn't follow wrestling at the time, but when he saw Johnson for the part, it just clicked. In his mind, the Scorpion King needed someone with arena-sized presence — the kind of charisma that makes a villain fun to root against — and Johnson had the confidence and larger-than-life energy to pull it off. The result: Johnson's first movie role, which led straight to his own spinoff and, well, the rest of his career.

About that new Mummy movie

Yes, a fresh entry in the Mummy franchise has been announced recently, and Fraser sounds very ready to dust off Rick O'Connell's gear. He also gave a little behind-the-scenes context on why 2008's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor turned out the way it did. Short version: that movie shifted to China in part because of corporate synergy at the time — NBC had the Olympics that year, so the studio aligned accordingly. Fraser says working in Shanghai was incredible and he stands by the film as a solid standalone, but it wasn't the version he had always wanted to make.

'The one I wanted to make was never made... The one I wanted to make is forthcoming. And I have been waiting 20 years for this call... Now? It is time to give the fans what they want.'

So, if you're a fan of Fraser-era Mummy adventures, this is the most promising tease we've had in a very long time.

Where this leaves things

Between Johnson giving Fraser flowers for giving him his shot, and Fraser hinting that the Mummy movie he wanted to make is finally on deck, this Actors on Actors pairing ended up being a surprisingly meaty little time capsule and a tease for what's next. Also, Johnson talking up a dramatic turn with The Smashing Machine while Fraser hits the road with Rental Family? Not the reunion I saw coming, but I'm not complaining.