The time ‘righteous dude’ Brendan Fraser made sure everyone got paid

We can all agree Brendan Fraser is a cool guy, right? If you had any doubt, this story will surely convince you.

Everyone is jumping aboard the Brendan Fraser comeback train, and why wouldn’t you?

Fraser was a beloved action-adventure star of the 1990s and early 2000s, having charmed audiences in the likes of The Mummy, George Of The Jungle and Blast From The Past.

Then he disappeared for a while, his career stalling from a combination of health issues and a traumatic event involving alleged sexual harassment from an influential industry figure.

Now Fraser is back on the radar, earning acclaim for his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, in which he portrays an obese man trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

Fraser’s return to the spotlight has engendered a lot of good will and has even led to some past colleagues to vouch for him as a “righteous dude”.

Dave Rand, who was the digital effects lead on Fraser’s 2007 movie Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, posted on LinkedIn of the time the actor helped a group of artists get paid the money they were owed.

Rand told how he and his team had been convinced by Meteor Studios in Montreal to work overtime to finish the effects on the sci-fi film just before Christmas. But, according to Rand, as soon as they were done, the team was escorted off the premises.

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Brendan Fraser and Josh Hutcherson in Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Meteor was declaring bankruptcy and there would be no payday for work already done.

Rand tried to pressure the parent company Discovery Communications to fulfil Meteor’s obligations but faced roadblocks everywhere he turned, including the press.

Rand claimed industry publication Variety wouldn’t cover the story and neither would any other media. He speculated that the publications had been “pressured” by the studio to bury the story.

Rand called Fraser’s team who said they would pass on the message but Rand didn’t hear anything back.

Eventually, Rand connected with a reporter from New York Post*, which ran the story with a call-out to Fraser to help. Within minutes of the story going live online, Rand’s phone rang and on the other end was Fraser.

“He had no idea that artists were not paid on his movie,” Rand wrote. “He listened intently, asked a lot of questions and promised he would call me regularly until this was solved.

“Brendan kept his promise. He publicly campaigned for us. The media, especially Variety, event started to cover our story.”

Rand said he and the team were eventually paid 80 per cent for their work two years later. He credited Fraser with making that happen.

Rand ended his post with: “We had none but Mr Fraser gave us wings. He’s a righteous dude.”

* New York Post is owned by News Corp, publisher of this website