Brendan Fraser Leaned On A Mentor's Words To Reluctantly Accept Encino Man

With the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards upon us, comeback kid Brendan Fraser is poised to win an Oscar for his heartbreaking, gut-wrenching performance in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale" (read /Film's spot on review of the film here). If Fraser, famous for his swashbuckling days as Rick O'Connell in "The Mummy" franchise and off-the-wall comedies like "Airheads," wasn't ever considered a serious dramatic actor, he is now. Appearing as a guest on the "Saturday Night Live" deep dive podcast "Fly on the Wall" hosted by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Fraser opened up about his early days in the business when he was determined to be taken seriously as a performer.

Having just enjoyed some notoriety for his breakout role in "School Ties" (a film about a football star forced to confront anti-Semitism at a 1950s prep school), Fraser was trying to decide if playing a blockhead caveman in "Encino Man" was the right choice for his next project. Both films came out in 1992, and 30 years later, it's "Encino Man" that keeps resonating with the MTV generation as a succulent dose of '90s nostalgia. Following in the footprints of "Back to the Future," "Splash," "Back to School," and "Crocodile Dundee," "Encino Man" stuck to the '80s blueprint of an outsider who suddenly becomes the toast of the town or the popular kid at school.

Fraser understood that dynamic. But if it wasn't for a colleague he worked with during "School Ties," he may have never taken the role as Link in "Encino Man," which became the first entry in the actor's himbo trilogy, followed by "George of the Jungle" and "Blast From the Past." All three films have a fish-out-of-water aspect that Fraser's wide-eyed innocence was perfect for.

"Chronologically, I went in to meet for 'Encino Man' before I got hired to do 'School Ties,'" Brendan Fraser told Dana Carvey and David Spade on the "Fly on the Wall" pod. "I understood the character is basically the new guy in town, which was something they hadn't seen anyone bring into the readings or the auditions before that they really wanted, 'cause he's a fish-out-of-water, he's trying to fit in, all that." Fraser quickly got attached to do "School Ties" and was whisked away to Boston to shoot the intense sports drama. "Encino Man" director Les Mayfield and producer George Zaloom kept trying to court Fraser for the role, but he was worried the broad comedy would be walking a fine line between camp and total absurdity.

Keith Wester, the sound mixer on "School Ties," made Fraser realize that showing that kind of acting range could help his career and result in even more offers in the future. Wester told Fraser:

"'You know there's this that's a drama and you've got comedy, it's not a bad thing.' It helped me make my decision because his point was, if you're new to the industry, your calling card will be 'I can do something dramatic, I can do [...] comedy/tragedy.'"

Transitioning from a period piece in "School Ties" right into the surprise contemporary hit of "Encino Man" changed the entire trajectory of Fraser's career, for the better. There may not be more of a '90s time capsule than "Encino Man" and it helped to usher in a new wave of high school movies that combined the spirit of John Hughes with artifacts of a brand new decade.

Revisiting "Encino Man" recently in Inverse's oral history of the film, director Les Mayfield revealed that the project was the first to be greenlit under a new edict from Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. Referred to as the famous Katzenberg memo (it's not a mission statement), the new business plan was to make lower budget movies at the studio that would hopefully shake up the industry a little. "We were the first memo movie," Mayfield remembered. Falling into the $7 million dollar range, "Encino Man" came in at number four at the 1992 Memorial Day weekend box office behind Tom Cruise's "Far and Away," David Fincher's "Alien 3," and the buddy cop threequel "Lethal Weapon 3." It would go on to rake in more that $40 million at the box office.

"Encino Man" has also come back into the cultural fray thanks to actor Ke Huy Quan, star of "Everything Everywhere All At Once," another Oscar contender this year alongside "The Whale." Quan played a small but memorable part as a computer nerd that helps Link discover the state-of-the-art technology of the '90s. He and Brendan Fraser reunited and reminisced about the film in a heartfelt exchange during the Hollywood Reporter's annual actors' roundtable.

If you're wondering why Dana Carvey and David Spade's "Saturday Night Live"-centric "Fly on the Wall" podcast invited Fraser on the show in the first place, the actor hosted "Saturday Night Live" twice in the '90s, though he wasn't promoting "Encino Man" at the time. In 1997, Fraser's new film was "George of the Jungle" and Bjork was the musical guest. In the episode, Fraser appears with Molly Shannon in a hilarious skit spoofing "Xena: Warrior Princess" and also encounters a feral Chris Kattan as Mango. (That skit also features Tina Fey's first onscreen appearance.) In 1999, Fraser was on again for "The Mummy" with musical guest Busta Rhymes. 

In stark contrast to the over-the-top broad comedy and '90s backdrop of "Encino Man," a much more serious, dramatized version of an unearthed Neanderthal exists that's actually pretty compelling. In 1984, Timothy Hutton starred in "Iceman" as a scientist who discovers one of our ancient ancestors, fully preserved and intact. Directed by Fred Schepisi ("Roxanne"), "Iceman" explores what would actually happen if an Arctic expedition team discovered a caveman, instead of two stoners who happen to dig one up in their backyard pool. "Iceman" is more of a cautionary tale about the overreaching grasp of modern science, so don't expect a choreographed dance finale at prom when the ending kicks into gear.

Actor John Lone plays the prehistoric man (deemed Charlie by his captors) in "Iceman" with a fiery intensity and a quiet sensitivity. If Brendan Fraser had actually wanted to remain a dramatic actor, Lone's powerful performance would probably be the perfect reference point. If any moviegoers are looking for an unconventional pairing, "Encino Man" and "Iceman" could be a pretty epic double feature.