Brendan Fraser became a household name thanks to several memorable roles in the 90s and early 2000s. He made a triumphant return to the screen after a marked hiatus with a career-defining performance in Darren Aronofsky’s 2022 The Whale.In the most recent news about the actor, Brendan Fraser sat down with Dwayne Johnson for a conversation as part of a Variety editorial piece. Early on in their discussion, Dwayne made sure to give his former co-star his flowers for helping him land and subsequently navigate his acting debut in The Mummy Returns.“It meant something to me, because you took a risk on me, and years later, you and I are sitting here. I want to thank you for really changing my life.”Brendan Fraser returned the favor later on while discussing the role his old friend Dwayne may have played in terms of The Whale’s ultimate success,"I owe you a debt of gratitude because when I took “The Whale” with Darren and the crew to Venice, and they applauded for a very long time and stayed on their feet — I’d never been there before. Johnson also added that Fraser's performance in The Whale made him emotional, and he teared up. "I didn’t know the whole ritual of it. I know! And you put your shoulder into that by showing your support through Twitter. Dwayne, you’re a godfather of sorts of the success of that project. Thank you for that.”The entire conversation was an endearing retrospective on the careers of two actors who have stayed committed to their craft for decades. Their bodies of work are a testament to their relentless focus and drive as professionals.Brandon Fraser praises Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine performanceAlso in the Variety discussion, Brendan Fraser made a point to highlight Dwayne Johnson’s recent dramatic turn in this year’s The Smashing Machine. He illustrated that the former pro wrestler won him over with heart, despite the gruelling physical toll that went hand in hand with accepting the role.“You nailed it, dude. You got me in the feels. Not only the physical pain, which was formidable — and I know Dwayne’s a big, strong guy, but hard knocks hurt — but that’s not the real pain that you had in that role.”Fraser would go on to add,“That guy was accustomed to getting hurt. It’s what he did for a living, right? But the real pain was the emotional stuff.”Later, when asked by Johnson if anything had changed in his creative process after winning an Oscar, Brendan Fraser shared,“I think of it two ways. On the one hand, 'You better earn this. You got the brass ring but be worthy of it going forward. Uphold the standard if you can.' But also, I felt like I don’t have anything to prove. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to just coast.”In other news, fans of the actor will be pleased to know he will be returning for The Mummy 4, alongside Rachel Weisz. There is no confirmed release date for the film as yet.