Brendan Fraser is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood. From blockbusters such as the adventure movie The Mummy to his recent acclaimed performance in the new movie The Whale – the star has proven his talent time and again. However, when it comes to fun filming experiences in his cinematography, Looney Tunes Back in Action takes the cake.
In the 2000s movie, Fraser plays the stuntman of Brendan Fraser (yep, himself) in a reality where the animated series Looney Tunes exists in the real world. In an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, Fraser recalled filming Looney Tunes Back in Action, and how the production was different to his other past experiences filming flicks that combined live-action and animation.
Fraser, who previously worked with a picture of Dwayne Johnson on a stick for The Mummy 2 – as the latter was added with CGI as the Scorpion King – shared how filming with actual puppets in Looney Tunes Back in Action was a lot easier as an actor.
“When I did Looney Tunes Back in Action, there was a Daffy Duck puppet by Bruce Lanoil, and it helps so much for your eyeline,” Fraser explained. “So, you don’t have that ‘I’m looking at a piece of tape on a tennis ball’. You interact with one another, which makes perfect sense.”
It should be said that Looney Tunes Back in Action isn’t the only film that blended live-action and animation together to use puppets in production. The 1988 family movie Who Framed Rodger Rabbit also used puppets and mechanical gadgets to create convincing eye lines between humans and the characters.
Still, while Looney Tunes Back in Action wasn’t the first of its kind, it is delightful to imagine Fraser interacting with puppets of the beloved cartoon characters on set, as opposed to the paper cut out of Dwayne Johnson he worked with while filming The Mummy.
“Also, I have bragging rights to having worked with Daffy Duck properly. In the flesh,” Fraser added. Fans can look forward to Fraser’s new drama movie The Whale, which was released in the US in 2022 and is set to hit UK theatres on February 3, 2023.
You can read our The Whale review if you are curious about the flick. Have a look at our list of The Muppets movies for more puppetry, or, if you are after more upcoming releases, check out the 2023 movies we can’t wait to see!