Brendan Fraser reveals he needed spinal surgery, knee replacement after doing his own stunts

Brendan Fraser at the Venice Film Festival. Photo / AP

Brendan Fraser needed spinal surgery and a partial knee replacement after spending years getting “banged up” while doing his own stunts.

The Mummy star, 54, has revealed he suffered numerous injuries during his time making action movies and faced a long recovery after doctors discovered he needed several operations to fix his problems.

Brendan Fraser in The Mummy. Photo / supplied

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I got a little banged up from years of doing my own stunts and needed a surgical fix on the spine and the hinges. That took a lot out of me. I knew I would get better, but it took a long time.’’

Fraser went on to reveal he was already suffering by the time he made the third movie in The Mummy series - 2008′s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

He said of his injuries: “I put myself together like a gladiator with muscle tape and ice packs, strapping on this Transformer-like exoskeleton just to get through the scene. There was self-loathing. I think on some level I felt I deserved a beating and wanted to be the one who got in the first punch.’’

Fraser is currently enjoying a career comeback after receiving his first ever Oscar nomination. He’s in the running for the Best Actor prize at the upcoming Academy Awards for his role in The Whale and he admitted he felt “absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy” for the recognition.

Brendan Fraser in The Whale. Photo / AP

He added in a statement to People.com, “I wouldn’t have this nomination without [director] Darren Aronofsky, [writer] Samuel D. Hunter, A24 and the extraordinary cast and crew who gave me the gift of [this character] Charlie. “A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life. THANK YOU!”

Fraser is nominated alongside Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Paul Mescal (Aftersun) and Bill Nighy (Living).