Sep 6, 2025 8:45 PM EDT
A-lister Brendan Fraser, 56, has been a major force in blockbuster films like The Mummy, but his opinions about movies released directly on streaming platforms might just take fans by surprise.
“Audiences are more focused and have the option to skip to the next if they wish,” he told Variety in a new interview on September 6. While that might be daunting to some actors, the Hollywood legend says he “welcomes that as a challenge.”
“It means you have to up your game and choose more carefully, be better,” he said.
That said, Fraser’s next film is getting a theatrical release. Rental Family features Fraser as an actor named Philip working in Japan before taking a gig filling in as a surrogate for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one. He said he chose the project because he was struck by the unique concept.
“It was so far removed from anything that I had seen at all,” he said. “The nature of the story being an unusual way to fulfill the needs that people have who are bereft of family. It seemed like a film without a villain, per se, apart from apathy, and that speaks to us at this time.”
Brendan Fraser’s Rise, Fall, and Comeback in Hollywood
Fraser is no stranger to the silver screen, having risen to prominence as a leading man in Encino Man in 1992 and George of the Jungle in 1997, both of which were considered box office successes, opening at 2nd and 4th and earning $40.7 million and $174.4 million, respectively. His 2004 film Crash won an Academy Award for Best Picture, and his The Mummy trilogy made a staggering $417 million worldwide across three films.
Unfortunately, the success dried up following The Mummy‘s third film, and Fraser took a break amid both personal and professional struggles. “I’ve never been that far away, but I did step out of the spotlight for a spell there to sort some things out in my life and to take stock of who I am, where I’m going, and what my aspirations are,” he told Willy Geist in 2023. “I’ve learned that it’s going to do me good to work smart instead of work hard.”
Fraser made a huge splash returning to the spotlight in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale in 2022. The film earned him a Best Actor award at the 2022 Oscars, Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and many more.
“I feel so much more receptive and gratitude for the positive attention that I’m receiving at this time,” he said of the attention and accolades for his work in The Whale. “It’s really humbling.”
Rental Family will premiere in theaters on November 21, 2025.
About the Author
Emy LaCroix
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