Matt Damon and Brendan Fraser’s careers don’t have much similarity. Even though both of them have great franchises to their names- Bourne for Damon and The Mummy for Fraser. but somewhere along the way, the Encino Man star’s path divulged from the rest of the pack. However, he found the way back with The Whale which gave him his first Oscar win.
However, Fraser still credits Damon for giving him his first break in the brutal film industry even though he had to get n*ked and fight him. However, the actor wasn’t too bothered by the nudity because the movie gave out an important message that wasn’t obstructed by that aspect.
Brendan Fraser And Matt Damon Fought Each Other In Their Birthday Suits
In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Brendan Fraser talked about one of the most important films of his career- 1992’s School Ties. He starred in the film with Ben Affleck, Chris O’Donnell, and Matt Damon. The actor discussed an important scene with the host where his and Damon’s characters get into a fight n*ked.
The Gods and Monsters star was relieved that the scene wasn’t about titillation or shock because there were two nude people onscreen. Instead, it was driving home an important point about discrimination since Fraser’s character David was Jewish in the film and Damon’s character Dillon couldn’t stand that. Fraser said:
“I appreciated that this isn’t really for wow or a scintillating factor of going, ‘Hey, look at that. N*ked people. The point of it was that when Damon’s character says what he says about David, he just reveals who he is. His anti-Semitism and his prejudice is stripped down n*ked and it’s ugly.”
The actor also appreciated Matt Damon for being his screen partner in the film. In fact, he said that without The Martian star, he probably wouldn’t have been able to bag this pivotal role.
Brendan Fraser Credited Matt Damon For Helping Him Get His First Major Film Role
In an interview with IMDb, Brendan Fraser confessed that he got his role in School Ties all thanks to auditioning with Matt Damon. He explained that back then he was fresh out of acting school and was looking to prove himself. The George of the Jungle star said:
“When I did my screen test for School Ties with Matt Damon, I was pretty fresh out of the academy. And it was a test, you know? You’re challenged for a reason, to see if you have a place in this world, in this medium, in this format.”
So what did Fraser do to bag the role of David? He just tried to match Damon’s intensity rather than copy him. He explained:
“I just knew inherently, not copy him, but run alongside, shoulder to shoulder. I think it worked. I got the job, so I have him to thank for that.”
It has been more than 30 years since School Ties was released in theaters, but it still remains a pivotal film in Brendan Fraser and Matt Damon’s careers. After all, it allowed them to get more roles later on.
School Ties is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Howard Stern Show
