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Brendan Fraser reveals why he turned down George of the Jungle 2 after ‘starving himself’ in original film-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro
Brendan knew his worth.
Brendan Fraser knew his worth (Picture: ABACA/Shutterstock)
Brendan Fraser has explained exactly why he didn’t return in the George of the Jungle sequel.
The Mummy actor scored his first big box office hit playing the titular
role in the 1997 comedy, which was about a primitive man who was raised by animals in the jungle.
However, the 54-year-old, who recently opened up about ‘starving himself of carbs’ for the role, was noticeably absent from 2003 follow-up, George of the Jungle 2.
Instead, Christopher Showerman played George in the film, which followed the unlikely hero’s efforts trying to save Ape Mountain from his evil nemesis Lyle (Thomas Haden Church).
The Quiet American performer revealed he was ‘approached’ by studio bosses to reprise the cult part but wasn’t persuaded by the pay cheque they were offering him.
He joked that they were ‘too cheap’ to hire him, adding: ‘I think George got a remake, and they built a joke into it that the studio was too cheap to hire me, which wasn’t inaccurate.’
Brendan Fraser soared to fame on George of the Jungle (PictureL REX/Shutterstock)
Brendan continued to Entertainment Weekly: ‘I was approached. I can’t remember what I was doing at the time, but I felt like I wanted to go do The Quiet American instead with Michael Caine, and shoot the first Western film in Vietnam ever, directed by Phillip Noyce, to tell an infinitely American story.’
Speaking more broadly about his Hollywood career, he added: ‘m always making diverse choices, and, hopefully, that keeps me and an audience interested.
‘With a bit of distance, I think they’ve all cumulatively led up to the place
I’m in now.’
Brendan joked that studio bosses were ‘too cheap’ (Picture: Shutterstock)
Brendan said he was more interested in pursuing other projects (Picture: Disney/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Brendan previously opened up about the difficulties playing George in
Variety’s Actors on Actors series, admitting he endured a gruelling
diet to get in shape and it left him struggling to function.
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He said: ‘I was waxed. Starved of carbohydrates. I would drive home
after work and stop to get something to eat.
‘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.’
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MORE : Brendan Fraser ‘starved himself’ so much during George of the Jungle that his ‘brain was misfiring’
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