Brendan Fraser ruled the 1990s with charm and chops, from George of the Jungle’s vine-swinging goof to The Mummy’s whip-cracking hero. Rick O’Connell smashed box office records, raking in three films and over a billion dollars worldwide.
Then, at a 2003 Golden Globes lunch, former HFPA president Philip Berk allegedly groped him, pinning Fraser with a hand on his backside and finger in a private spot. Fraser froze and felt sick, like a scared kid choking on tears.
He told reps, who fired complaints at the HFPA. Invites to Globes dried up after that, fueling his hunch of a blacklist. Berk called it a joke in his 2014 book, later shrugging off career dips as unrelated.
Fraser sank into depression, retreating from red carpets and roles, his phone going quiet for years. Industry chatter painted him as sidelined, a cautionary tale before #MeToo lit the fuse.
Mummy Stunts Break Body, Stall Career
Action stardom demanded Fraser wreck himself weekly. Mummy sequels left him taped together with ice packs by the third, filming in China.
He tallied seven years of surgeries: partial knee replacement, back fusions, spinal fixes, and even vocal cords from stunt yells. By 40, the jacked physique had faded, no longer fit for hanging fights or jungle flips without doubles.
Brendan Fraser (Credit: BBC)
He eyed dramatic turns, but typecasting clung like tar. George’s shots made him cringe, seeing a slab of meat on display. Hollywood chased fresh faces and franchises, his hits turning stale.
Personal splits piled on, with three boys from two marriages needing a steadier dad away from spotlights. Voice gigs and indies trickled in, but the A-list vanished.
Whale Splash Buries Blacklist Ghosts
Fraser’s 2023 roared back with Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, his raw turn as a suicidal teacher ballooning to 600 pounds, earning Venice raves and Oscar nods. He skipped globes still, loyal to principles, not chasing nods from old foes. The HFPA expelled Berk in 2021 over emails, too late for amends.
Fans packed theaters; memes crowned him the comeback kid. Killers of the Flower Moon paired him with DiCaprio next, proving grit pays off. Reddit threads hail his disappearance as mafia silencing, but Fraser owns his health choices; he plays no victim card.
Batgirl tax write-off chats found him blunt: studios commodify films, torching for insurance bucks. Now 57, he picks meaty roles, wiser from his wilderness years. Hollywood blinked; Fraser roared louder, scars and all, reminding us real stars bend but rarely break clean.
Anne With An E wrapped its third season in 2019 with a cliffhanger that left fans gutted, as young Anne chased dreams beyond Avonlea. Netflix, the main distributor outside Canada, pulled the plug fast, pointing to lukewarm viewership metrics that did not match their blockbuster expectations.
The show earned strong critical acclaim, with an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes for its fresh spin on L.M. Montgomery’s tale, blending whimsy with tough topics like feminism and trauma. Still, internal data showed it fell short of the platform’s renewal threshold during a period of aggressive content cuts.
Ryan Reynolds and others amplified the outcry, yet the streamer stood firm, fueling backlash over opaque algorithms dictating fate. This decision mirrored broader Netflix trends from that era, where even beloved niche series like The OA met the same end.
CBC’s Stand Sparks Cross-Border Drama
Co-producer CBC, which aired the show in Canada, added fuel to the fire by refusing a fourth season alongside Netflix. Network head Catherine Tait cited worries about over-reliance on American platforms eroding local control and jobs in Canadian TV.
Anne With An E thrived on CBC Kids with solid domestic ratings, but Tait pushed back against Netflix’s growing sway, fearing it could sideline homegrown stories vital to national identity.
Anne With An E (Credit: Netflix)
The announcement landed brutally, just one day after the Canadian finale, catching everyone off guard. Industry reports from outlets like Variety highlighted how CBC sought to protect its ecosystem, especially as federal funding debates loomed over cultural exports.
Producers like Miranda de Pencier confirmed no other networks stepped up, despite buzz around HBO Max or Crave. This rift laid bare tensions in international co-productions, where profit motives clashed with cultural priorities.
Echoes Linger in Fan Fightback
Social media erupted with #BringBackAnne trending hard as viewers mourned unresolved arcs like Anne’s romance and family bonds.
Lead actress Amybeth McNulty’s growth complicated revival talks, her real age outpacing the character’s by 2026. Petitions and fan art flooded platforms, but cast and crew gently closed the door, calling the three seasons a complete arc.
No reboot has surfaced years on, though whispers of stage adaptations or books persist in fan circles. Sites like ScreenRant recapped the “complicated” mix of metrics and politics, underscoring how streamers undervalued literary adaptations.
Anne with an E’s end spotlights a key shift in TV economics, where passion projects yield to data-driven choices. Fans keep streaming it, sharing memes and essays on Reddit, a testament to its pull. The story endures, urging a better balance for tomorrow’s underdogs.
