Brendan Fraser recalls "nearly" dying while filming The Mummy: "I was choked out accidentally"

Rick O'Connell, Brendan Fraser's intrepid adventurer in The Mummy, faced many close shaves during his on-screen escapades – but, it turns out, Fraser also experienced one on set.

During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, he was asked whether it was true that he almost died while filming The Mummy. "Nearly… I was choked out accidentally," he answered, before going on to recall the scene where his character is almost hanged. 

"I was standing on my toes like this, with the rope [around my neck], and you only got so far to go. And [director] Stephen [Sommers] ran over, and he said, 'Hey, it doesn’t really look like you’re, you know, choking – can you sell it?' And I was like, 'Alright, fine.' So I thought, 'One more take, man.'"

"I was stuck on my toes – I had nowhere to go but down," he continued "And so he was pulling up, and I was going down, and the next thing I knew, my elbow was in my ear, the world was sideways, there was gravel in my teeth, and everyone was really quiet."

When the stunt coordinator woke him, he reportedly told him, "Congratulations, you’re in the club – the same thing happened to Mel Gibson on Braveheart." Fraser's response? "Thanks, I think?! I wanna go home!"

The Mummy, released back in 1999, was Fraser's breakout movie. A sequel, The Mummy Returns, followed in 2001, and a third installment, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, followed in 2008.

His latest movie, The Whale, directed by Darren Aronofsky, sees him play Charlie, a reclusive 600lb man who tries to reconnect with his 17-year-old daughter, played by Stranger Things' Sadie Sink. He's nominated for Best Actor at this year's Oscars for his performance.

If you've already seen The Whale, fill out your watch list with our picks of the other best movies of 2022, or look ahead to what's to come with our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies on the horizon.