The Dramatic Effects Of Brendan Fraser’s Divorce On His Acting Career: After the Sunday premiere of Darren Aronofsky’s picture, “The Whale,” the star of the movie, Brendan Fraser, earned a 6-minute standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival.
After a rocky professional path, many see this as the beginning of Fraser’s return (dubbed “the Brenaissance”) to Hollywood.
Some people will see this and be reminded of the difficult periods Fraser went through, such as when he accused a powerful Hollywood insider of sexual assault and when he divorced Afton Smith in a public and publicized custody battle.
Brendan Fraser’s Divorce From Afton Smith Hurt His Career
Fraser’s career was already in troubled seas after she accused Philip Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, of sexual assault in 2003.
All it took was a tiny shove to send it down. Smith and Fraser filed for divorce in 2007, well after Fraser’s career had settled down from its explosive Hollywood debut with The Mummy series.
Fraser and Smith, who co-starred with the Canadian-American actor in “George of the Jungle,” were married for nine years and had three children before filing for divorce.
The divorce itself was a minor setback for Fraser’s career because it made him appear unattractive; given his uncertain professional standing at the time, most casting directors were understandably hesitant to work with a man who seemed to be experiencing a run of bad luck.
According to the New York Post, six years after their divorce and child settlement in 2013, Fraser went to a court in Connecticut to try to lower his annual $900,000 child support payment to his ex-wife.
According to documents and testimony presented in court, Fraser said that he expected to earn nothing from performing in the following years. This was simply because he had not yet signed any definite movie deals.
Fraser had to stop paying child support because he just couldn’t afford it, and hiring a struggling actor is a huge gamble.
Fraser Ceased Getting Huge Movie Agreements After Reducing His Alimony, But He Did Act In Other Films
It wasn’t enough, though, because he later claimed that the profits from the movies in question weren’t high enough to cover child support payments.
In an interview with GQ, he stated that his lack of money originated from the multiple operations he endured over the course of seven years – from the costs he had to pay as well as the limit that was imposed on his potential to generate money in the future.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Smith delivered one of the knockout punches by suggesting that Fraser was trying to conceal his wealth.
While the court did not buy her story, it did rule that Fraser may reduce his alimony only if he began generating less than $3 million yearly.
Fraser had one of the most terrible downfalls of any actor because of the drama surrounding his divorce, health problems, and sexual assault charges he made.
Thanks to an unexpected renewed interest in the actor online, Fraser has rebounded back in a significant way and now sees himself working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan. He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky. #TheWhale 👏🏾 https://t.co/SNBLPHHmEZ
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) September 4, 2022
His most anticipated picture to date, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is directed by a Hollywood icon and has a cast of A-list actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, and Robert De Niro.
Fraser’s professional comeback appears to be going in the right direction.