Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy is one of those movies that, even 25 years later, people still talk about. Unfortunately, it seems that some of that talk isn’t entirely accurate. Director Stephen Sommers recently debunked the idea that Tom Cruise was considered for the lead role, and while he’s at it, he’s also looking to put to bed the story that Fraser almost died on set.
The story that has been told, including by Brendan Fraser himself, is that the actor nearly died by strangulation when a scene in which his character is supposed to be hanged went awry. In Fraser’s version of the hanging story, it was Sommers who asked that the tension on the rope be taken up, but according to the director speaking with The Daily Beast, it was Fraser who asked that the noose be tighter. Sommers said…
Brendan put the rope around his neck and got too into it. He’s a very eager guy and was like ‘tighten it up… make it tight around the neck.
In the scene, Fraser's Rick is dropped through the floor of a gallows. Luckily, his neck is apparently so strong that it doesn't break instantly, leading to him starting to die due to suffocation. He is ultimately saved by Rachel Weisz's character, who makes a deal that leads to Rick being cut down. Check out the scene here.
It's a well-done scene, and a stuntman was used for part of it. But Fraser was needed himself for the closeups, leading to him being put in the noose. Ultimately, the noose was tight enough, and Fraser was off his feet enough that the blood flow to the actor’s head was cut off, causing him to pass out.
That’s certainly not the situation you want anybody to be in on the set of a movie. Still, Stephen Sommers would like to make it clear that Brendan Fraser was in no real danger, as the set was full of people who made sure the situation was remedied quickly. He continued…
When the stunt began, gravity did its thing and cut off his carotid arteries. “What he didn’t realize is that it cuts off blood flow and he knocked himself out. Obviously, if we’d have walked away he could have died—but we were all standing there. He woke up and didn’t even know what had happened. It was more of a humorous thing and Brendan did it to himself so he can’t blame anybody.
Fans have called for a fourth Mummy movie. Hopefully if that happens, nobody passes out. The franchise is still quite popular, and Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida, which includes Fraser is a popular attraction. Fraser's Mummy has already stood the test of time better than the Tom Cruise attempt to reboot the franchise.
Sommers called it a humorous situation, but even if Fraser had been at fault, it doesn’t sound like the actor himself actually felt the situation was funny. Either way, we’re all certainly glad that nothing bad happened to Brandan Fraser. The Brenaissance showed us that man is a national treasure and needs to be protected.
