Dwayne Johnson Thanks Brendan Fraser For 'Changing My Life' With 'The Mummy Returns' In Sweet Video

It's been more than 25 years since The Mummy hit movie theaters. And next year, it will be 25 years since its sequel, The Mummy Returns, came out and opened the door for its spin-off, The Scorpion King.

There's now buzz about a new installment in The Mummy franchise with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz following the storyline of the first two films set to appear either in late 2026 or sometime in 2027.

This news brought the unique opportunity for Brendan Fraser and Dwayne Johnson to get together and talk after nearly 25 years, while sitting down with Variety for an "Actors on Actors" segment.

Fraser and Johnson had a fun conversation that largely centered around their shared time in The Mummy universe, the franchise's impressive CGI skills, and other projects both actors have worked on.

But the most touching thing about the interview was the recognition Johnson gave Fraser.

"You and I first connected on 'The Mummy Returns.'"

"That was one of the biggest franchises in the world at that time, in our industry, beloved around the world, and you were the face of that franchise."

"The flowers I want to give you is, I was ready to make my transition into Hollywood, and I was excited, and I had this opportunity to be cast in your movie as the Scorpion King."

"I remember meeting with Steven Summers, our director, and I met with all the folks at Universal, and I was so excited, but I knew, because they told me, 'You know, we're just going to talk to Brendan first.'"

"So there was a moment where I feel like you could have said, 'Hey, listen, I love this idea of a character called the Scorpion King, but this guy, Dwayne Johnson, he's never acted before, he's in pro wrestling, I'm not quite so sure.'"

"This is a beloved franchise; it felt like 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'; and the word that I got back was, 'Brenden loves the idea. He welcomes you with open arms.'"

As Johnson continued speaking, Fraser became visibly emotional.

"It really meant something to me, because not only was it your franchise, and you took a shot and a risk with me, who'd never acted back then, but also, that kicked off my career."

"It went from 'The Mummy Returns' to then 'The Scorpion King' to years later, now you and I sitting here, and I just want to say thank you, man, and thank you, really, in a big way, for changing my life."

"The trajectory that you allowed to happen led me to be here."

Fraser has been known as kind, genuine, and humble ever since he was at his peak popularity in The Mummy era, and his response to Johnson's thanks was the perfect example of why.

"You're too kind, Dwayne. You were always the right guy for the job."

"When I was told that you were a possibility for it, forgive me, but I didn't know you from the wrestling world. When I was shown, I said, 'That is perfect. That is inspired casting. That's fantastic. We'd be lucky to get the guy. Wow.'"

"No, seriously. I mean, come on. Because it felt like you need a stadium persona performance to give, to play a villain you love to hate, and to introduce yourself into that franchise. It's going to take a lot of confidence and belief that, yeah, you could take on all the big, scary bad guys and fight them back and do all of the action and everything."

"And also, you presented a formidable foe to the characters in the movie. I mean, Imhotep was the heavy, right? But we needed someone bigger and badder than him. And who are you going to get? We got you, dude."

"Oh man, it worked out the best for everyone. You are a gentleman, because I promise you what you did in the wrestling world, you were painting with a 10-inch brush."

You can watch the moment here:

Fans were touched by the interaction between the two men.

You can watch their full "Actors on Actors" interview here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The Rock has come a long way since his time as the Scorpion King and is one of the most popular and highly-paid male actors in today's action film industry.

The fact that he took the time to thank Fraser for his shot at success is touching, and Fraser deflecting and crediting Johnson speaks volumes about him.

Sometimes we really do make the right people famous.