Summary
- Brendan Fraser's breakout role in School Ties paved the way for his successful Hollywood career.
- Fraser felt a strong connection to his character in the film, relating his own desire to belong in Hollywood.
- School Ties kickstarted Fraser's career despite being a box office flop, leading to his later success in the industry.
During the late 90s and early 2000s, Brendan Fraser was one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men. His charismatic personality, incredible acting skills, and ability to do his own stunts earned him roles in popular movies such as George of the Jungle, The Mummy film franchise, Gods and Monsters, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. However, none of this would’ve been possible without his earlier roles, including Encino Man and School Ties.
School Ties was one of Fraser’s first acting gigs. Starring alongside fellow rising actors Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris O'Donnell, Fraser played a Jewish star quarterback dealing with anti-semitism in a private prep school. In an interview with Howard Stern, Fraser revealed what working with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon was really like.
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Brendan Fraser Told Howard Stern How He Felt About Working with Matt Damon And Ben Affleck
During an interview with Howard Stern where Brendan Fraser discussed his breakout role in the drama School Ties, the host pointed out that, back in the 90s, the actor was constantly going up against Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for roles. The three actors were just starting their careers and would often audition for the same roles. So, Stern asked Fraser whether that caused any issues or a rivalry on set.
The radio host also asked whether the George of the Jungle actor ever felt jealous seeing his School Ties co-stars succeed in other movies. To Stern’s surprise, Fraser had nothing but good things to say about Affleck and Damon.
“I was overjoyed for them,” Fraser admitted. “I [was] like, ‘I know these schmoes.’ I was so happy for them, you know?”
Fraser admitted that filming School Ties was an overall great experience.
“They did a great job and [while] making School Ties, in a way, I felt like David because his story is that he wants to belong and, at some point in our lives or another, we’ve all felt like we’ve had our nose pressed up against the glass and there’s something keeping us out and we want to be a part of what’s in there.”
The actor recounted that, at the time, he felt incredibly connected to his character because he also wanted to fit in. “So, for all that need of wanting to belong, I identified with that. Because I felt like I want to be a part of this Hollywood also.”
Brendan Fraser Thinks He Only Got Cast In School Ties Because Of Matt Damon
In 1992, Brendan Fraser starred in Robert Mandel’s drama film School Ties. The movie tells the story of David (Fraser), a 17-year-old Jewish boy from a working-class family in the 1950s who earns a scholarship to an elite prep school. Unfortunately, he has to endure the bullying of his classmates.
During a recent interview for the Howard Stern Show, Fraser revealed that School Ties was one of the first movies he auditioned for.
“I first read for it when I first arrived in town and it was under a different director. And I didn’t get the job,” Fraser told Stern. “They were casting for David for a long time, I’m told.”
Despite being turned down, Fraser didn’t give up and continued auditioning for other roles. To his surprise, he got call back to audition again for School Ties after a couple of months.
“Eight months later, I came back under a new casting director,” the Mummy actor explained. “They said, ‘Okay, go meet Shery Lansing’ who was running Paramount. She said, ‘I wanna do a test. What are you doing on Thursday.’ And I thought, in my naivete, I thought it was like an exam or something like that.”
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For his screen test, Fraser had to act alongside none other than Matt Damon.
“We went to the Paramount lot and Tech Fujimoto was the DP and then there’s my Matt Damon, [he] was my scene partner, and I just remember thinking, ‘He’s already got the job, and this is my shot here, [so] I’m going, ‘Don’t mess this up,’” he recounted.
Luckily, having to act alongside Damon gave Fraser a much-needed push in the right direction.
Fraser has admitted that Matt Damon played a huge role in his getting cast in this successful film. “[I knew I had to] bring things down a size. I was used to being on stage at that point in my life and playing to the back row and I knew that I needed to match pitch with Matt. So, I felt like I was this wingman or something. And I think that’s why I got hired.”
Despite Being A Box Office Flop, School Ties Kickstarted Brendan Fraser’s Career
School Ties was a major flop, only grossing $14.7 million at the box office against a budget of $18 million. Despite this, it received positive reviews from the critics, who, for the most part, praised the cast for their performance. Moreover, starring in this movie helped Fraser put his name on the map.
That same year, the actor starred in Encino Man, which was a huge box-office success.
Shortly after, Fraser went on to star in a string of films that ranged from comedies like George of the Jungle, Airheads, and Son in Law, to awards-bait dramas such as Gods and Monsters, Crash, and The Quiet American, and also action flicks like The Mummy franchise). Although his career was set back after being blacklisted for speaking up about sexual abuse, the actor made his long-awaited comeback in 2022, when he starred in Darren Aronofsky's drama The Whale, which won him his first Oscar.
