Dwayne Johnson has thanked Brendan Fraser for helping him get the “life changing” role in The Mummy Returns, which launched his career as an actor.
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The two met while making the follow-up to the 1999 blockbuster The Mummy, which saw Fraser take on the lead role as an American explorer who stumbles upon an ancient Egyptian tomb and accidentally releases an ancient curse.
In the sequel, Johnson was introduced as the power-crazed antagonist, an Akkadian warrior who called himself The Scorpion King. At the time, Johnson was best known as WWE wrestler The Rock, and the role in the hit film marked his big screen debut – leading to him eventually taking on leading roles in The Smashing Machine, Black Adam and the 2017 Jumanji remake.
Now, in a new interview with Variety, Johnson has thanked Fraser for helping him get the role in the 2001 film and explained how his life would be massively different if the fellow actor didn’t “take a risk” by hiring him.
“You and I first connected on The Mummy Returns, and that was one of the biggest franchises in the world at that time in our industry,” Johnson began. “It was beloved around the world and you were the face of that franchise.”
Dwayne Johnson thanks Brendan Fraser for his support in getting him his first major film role in ‘THE MUMMY RETURNS’
“You took a risk on me… who had never acted… years later, you & I are sitting here… I want to thank you for really changing my life” pic.twitter.com/1bw2FXSBAz
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 8, 2025
“So the flowers I want to give [are because] I was ready to make my transition into Hollywood and I was excited. I had this opportunity to be casted in your movie as The Scorpion King,” he continued.
He went on to explain how he was uncertain if he had got the role at first, as director Stephen Sommers and other crew at Universal said that they had to “talk to Brendan” about his casting and get the seal of approval before they could hire him.
“I was asking if [my audition] was OK, and they said they said they were going to talk to [you],” he explained. “So there was a moment where you could have said ‘Hey listen, I love this idea of the character called The Scorpion King, but this guy Dwayne Johnson has never acted before. I know he was in pro wrestling and I’m not too sure.’”
He continued: “The word I got back was ‘Brendan loves the idea, and he welcomes you with open arms’. It really meant something to me, because not only was it your franchise and you took a risk with me – who had never acted by that point – but that kicked off my career.”
Johnson went on to say how he continued to get film roles after landing the slot in The Mummy Returns, including the 2002 spin-off film The Scorpion King which centred on his character. “Now, years later, you and I are sitting here. I want to say thank you for really changing my life. The trajectory that you allowed to happen led me to being here.”
Looking visibly moved by the comments, Fraser responded: “You’re too kind, Dwayne. You were always the right guy for the job.
“When I was told that you were a possibility for it, forgive me, I didn’t know you from the wrestling world. And when I was shown, I said, ‘That is inspired casting. We’d be lucky to get the guy.’”
The two have gone on to be household names for their work in film over the past two decades, with Fraser winning an Oscar for his moving performance in 2022 film The Whale, and Johnson recently shifting away from more comedic roles and taking on the role of real-life MMA athlete Mark Kerr in the gut-wrenching The Smashing Machine.
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