Dwayne Johnson is giving Brendan Fraser credit for helping kickstart his own Hollywood career.
When the 53-year-old “The Whale” star was met with a six minute standing ovation at the movie’s premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, The Rock was among the first to comment on the now viral video.
Johnson, 50, took to Twitter to highlight the sweet moment and pay tribute to Fraser.
“Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan,” the star wrote. “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 👏🏾.”
Fraser stars in the Darren Aronofsky film as a reclusive, 600-pound writing instructor struggling to reconnect with his daughter while also suffering from a compulsive eating disorder. The movie is based on the 2012 Samuel D. Hunter play of the same name, with Hunter also developing the screenplay.
The film earned a 6-minute standing ovation from the crowd in attendance — due, in large part, to Fraser’s performance. In fact, at one point, Fraser was reportedly preparing to exit the theater, but the crowd’s applause convinced him to stay even longer.
The actor was visibly emotional in a video shared by Variety reporter Ramin Setoodeh, who said the actor “sobbed” as his co-stars joined in on the applause.
Johnson got his blockbuster start with Fraser in 2001’s “The Mummy Returns,” the sequel to Fraser’s 1999 “The Mummy.”
The “Black Adam” star played Mathayus of Akkad/The Scorpion King in the blockbuster movie which generated $435 million worldwide. Johnson went on to star in the spinoff movie, “The Scorpion King” in 2002 — his first Hollywood headlining movie. Dwayne has since become one of the most bankable stars in world.
In addition to the “Mummy” franchise, Johnson and Fraser share another professional link via Warner Bros.’ “Journey to the Center of the Earth” franchise. Brendan was cast as the lead in the 2008 original film and Johnson eventually carried on the legacy by starring in the 2012 sequel “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.”
“The Whale” also stars Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton and Ty Simpkins and will premiere in theaters on December 9.
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