Brendan Fraser, the Oscar-nominated actor for The Whale, opened up in an interview and said that 20 years ago, he missed the opportunity to play one of the most famous DC Comics heroes, Superman.
At that time, J.J. Abrams’ film was canceled in the early 2000s due to ‘studio politics;’ however, the Mummy actor said that probably because he only gave 98% in the casting he was rejected along with other actors.
The controversial confession came during an interview for The Howard Stern Show, where Brendan Fraser talked about auditioning for J.J. Abrams’ Superman: Flyby, the film that was to tell the origin of the iconic Kryptonian.
“It’s an incredible, life-changing opportunity. I think inherently I didn’t want to be known for one thing or one role, and I’ve always prided myself on a diversity of roles throughout my professional life… I mean, I’m not a one-trick pony. I was disappointed, I knew it was an amazing opportunity, and it didn’t come to fruition. It didn’t happen because there were certain studio politics, and maybe with my screen test… I knew they noticed I was in there at like 98 percent,” he said.
Fraser also mentioned that on casting day for Superman in 2002 or 2003, seven other people also auditioned, including the late actor Paul Walker, who passed before him.
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva