Dwayne Johnson wants Mummy Returns costar Brendan Fraser to win an Oscar for The Whale : 'I want him to go all the way'

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is ready to see Brendan Fraser have a whale of a good time on the awards circuit.

The Black Adam actor said he is "so happy" for the recognition and acknowledgement that his Mummy Returns costar has been receiving for a standing ovation-worthy performance in Darren Aronofsky's upcoming film The Whale, and is ready for him to win big at the 2023 Oscars.

"I want him to go all the way, man," Johnson told MTV News. "I wanna see him on that Oscar stage, and hold that sucker up, and deliver, I'm sure, what will be an amazing speech."

The former professional wrestler made his film debut as stinging antagonist the Scorpion King in the 2001 Mummy sequel, going toe-to-toe with Fraser's charismatic adventurer Rick O'Connell in a few spectacular CGI brawls. But, Johnson explained, Fraser played an equally important role in the future of his acting career offscreen too.

"When they came to me and asked me to be in The Mummy Returns, that was Brendan's movie. He had to okay it," Johnson reflected. "He had no idea. We had never met. We had never even spoken on the phone. And the word that I got from our director Stephen Sommers was, 'Brendan loves this idea and is so happy you're in the movie.'"

He explained that Fraser's confidence in him gave Johnson, who has become a Hollywood legend in his own right, the push to keep going at a time when he desperately needed it.

LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP via Getty Images Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Brendan Fraser at the premiere of 'The Mummy Returns' in April 2001.

"I'd just come from WWE. I had no acting experience except in the WWE. I had never been on a movie set before ever and, all of a sudden, I'm in the middle of the Sahara Desert making The Mummy Returns," he shared. "And I get that kind of nod of acceptance from the star of the movie. It really meant a lot to me. So many years later, I never forgot it."

Johnson said it makes him even happier to see Fraser getting the awards buzz and accolades that his former costar truly deserves. "I see him getting the standing ovation for almost 10 minutes, and he's crying," he said. "I thought it was beautiful, man."

Last month, Johnson took to social media to share his excitement in the wake of Fraser's standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.

"Man this makes me so happy to see this beautiful ovation for Brendan," Johnson tweeted. "He supported me coming into his Mummy Returns franchise for my first ever role, which kicked off my Hollywood career. Rooting for all your success brother and congrats to my bud Darren Aronofsky."

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