'The Mummy' star Brendan Fraser on doing stunts for movie: 'that took a lot out of me'

The Mummy actor Brendan Fraser reflected on the after effects of filming hard-core action scenes in all three intallments of the film.

Fraser, 54, who ruled the 90s as one of cinema's major action stars is currently going through renaissance fondly dubbed "Brenaissance," by fans as he gave a brilliant leading performance in The Whale.

His role as Rick O'Connell in The Mummy (1999) garnered praises from audience. The actor is now opening up about the scale of physical work that the role required and how it took a huge toll on his body long after filming was over.

Fraser shared his experience in a recent interview with The Telegraph where he detailed how he felt the need to perform his own stunts for The Mummy movies in order to justify the huge paycheck he was earning for the role. 

He said,“I got a little banged up from years of doing my own stunts and needed a surgical fix on the spine and the hinges. And that took a lot out of me. I knew I would get better, but it took a long time."

"Every morning I was putting myself together like a gladiator with muscle tape and ice packs, strapping on this Transformer-like exoskeleton just to get through the scene" he added.

The enormous toll on his health required several surgical procedures to put him back in shape, including a partial knee replacement, a spinal procedure called a lumbar laminectomy, as well as surgery on his vocal cords.

 All of these procedures were done throughout the years while he was filming.