Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson soared into fame upon his entry into the professional wrestling world, but in the last two decades, he’s made his stamp on another industry as well.
In 2001, the former WWE Champion made his motion picture debut as The Scorpion King in the action-adventure of The Mummy Returns. Eventually, the film’s success led to The Scorpion King spinoff the following year, with Johnson casted as the lead role. Prior to that though, Johnson battled as the demi-god character against treasure hunter Rick O’Connell — played by Brendan Fraser — in The Mummy Returns. Interestingly though, the two actors never talked, or even met, while filming.
During a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Brendan Fraser revealed that the pair’s fighting scenes in the film were completely produced with the aid of computer-generated imagery (CGI). “I happen to be really good at [acting to a tennis ball],” he said. “You know why? Because in The Mummy Returns Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was just a piece of tape on a stick.”
In previously speaking with Variety, Fraser confirmed that the two actually did finally meet. “The first time I met him was at the reception after The Mummy Returns, and we hadn’t met in person before that actually although we were fighting on screen. Every time I worked with him, he was just a piece of tape on a stick, so it was nice to go, ‘hey man how are you? We finally meet.’”
Despite no firsthand meeting between the two characters, their performances help warrant a huge financial success for the franchise. In 2001, the film grossed over $435 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of the respective year. Fraser has not played the Rick O’Connell role since 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor but he recently said he’d be open to returning to the role if a fourth film were to materialize.
“I’m not opposed to it, I don’t know an actor who doesn’t want a job,” Fraser said. “I don’t think I’ve been this famous and unsalaried at the same time in my professional life so sign me up!”
