Brendan Fraser Was so ‘Starved of Carbohydrates’ While Dieting for ‘George of the Jungle’ That His Brain Kept ‘Misfiring’
Brendan Fraser has been everywhere these days as his performance in The Whale generates Oscar buzz. He recently sat down with friend and former co-star Adam Sandler to talk about some of his most memorable roles, including the one that left him “starved.”
Adam Sandler jokes that he was the reason Brendan Fraser got his ‘Airheads’ role
Fraser and Sandler became friends while they worked on the 1994 comedy Airheads. The pair played rock band members who took a radio station hostage to get their music heard.
The pair reunited for Variety‘s Actors on Actors, where they discussed some of their famous roles and most recent projects. During their conversation, the actors obviously had to talk about their days on Airheads.
Sandler joked that he was the whole reason Fraser was even chosen for the role. He said he went to the director’s house “at like 4 in the morning” to convince him. “‘Just know Adam Sandler ain’t going to be in Airheads unless old Fraser is in it,'” Sandler says he told Michael Lehmann.
Fraser laughingly pointed out that the movie’s director actually flew to Chicago just to meet with him about the role. But Sandler insisted, “He didn’t want you. I did, and the rest is pretty good. You had a good life because of me.”
Sandler went on to call the filming of Airheads “one of the best shoots of my life, without a doubt,” as well as “the best party of all time.”
Adam Sandler recalls an ‘Airheads’ stunt gone wrong
The actors also reminisced about how they shot the movie where the ’80s classic Die Hard was made, their fond memories of the late Chris Farley, who played a small part in the movie, and a stunt that left Sandler more injured than he wanted to admit.
In the movie, the band jumps off a parking structure to crowd surf. The actors chose to do the stunt themselves, jumping off the building and onto a mat. Sandler landed wrong, “in such a stiff way,” and hurt his neck.
“I didn’t want to say anything because I would be humiliated,” he laughed. The talk of stunts led to a discussion about Fraser’s time starring in the comedy George of the Jungle.
Why Brendan Fraser’s ‘brain was misfiring’ while filming ‘George of the Jungle’
According to Fraser, he was “waxed [and] starved of carbohydrates” to achieve the right physique for the always-shirtless jungle hero.
“I would drive home after work and stop to get something to eat,” Fraser recalled of his time trying to stay in shape for the shoot. “I needed some cash one day, and I went to the ATM, and I couldn’t remember my PIN number because my brain was misfiring. Banging on the thing. I didn’t eat that night.”
What Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser are doing today
Today, Fraser is enjoying something of a career renaissance. His performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale has earned him an immense amount of critical success. Sandler is also receiving praise for his work in Netflix’s Hustle, where he plays a down-on-his-luck basketball scout.
