Before his resurgence in the critically celebrated The Whale and his recognizable roles in George in the Jungle and The Mummy franchise, Brendan Fraser played the frontman of a rock band trying to make it big in Airheads. The actor starred alongside legendary icons Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi, with the trio appearing as fame-hungry bandmates in a fictional group called the Lone Rangers. The feature would mark a major career milestone for Fraser, who before Airheads, was primarily known for his role in Les Mayfield’s 1992 comedy Encino Man. In a recent interview with Variety, Sandler and Fraser reunited almost two decades later and had a laugh while talking about their time filming the cult-favorite movie that told the story of the rockers hijacking a radio station to get their song on air.
During the pair’s chat, Sandler sarcastically claimed that he “discovered” Fraser following his role in Encino Man and snatched him away from Pauly Shore, who also starred in the caveman-centered coming-of-age tale and was hoping to keep Fraser on deck should a sequel be made. “I was like, this guy shouldn’t just be a caveman,” Sandler said, before dropping information that Airheads director Michael Lehmann “was very against [Fraser].” But, Sandler says that he was adamant and certain of Fraser’s talents telling the Heathers director that he wouldn’t be signing on if Fraser wasn’t cast.
Laughing with his ex-costar, Fraser listens to the tale of how he got one of his biggest breakthrough roles, at one point asking Sandler if he was “pulling [his] chain right now?” The Blast from the Past star said that when he met the director in Chicago he “sang a different tune,” with Sandler calling him “a filthy liar,” adding that “[Lehmann] didn’t want you. I did, and the rest is pretty good.”
Both parties remember filming the project to be a great time with Sandler commenting, “that was one of the best shoots of my life, without a doubt.” The comedy legend revealed that a typical night of filming would involve arriving at the lot at 4:30 p.m. with loads of snacks before changing into costumes and knocking out the scenes, referring to it as “the best party of all time.”
While almost two decades have passed since Airheads first graced theaters, Fraser says that he’s kept the dream alive by way of a very special memento. The actor revealed that he’s held onto a cassette recording of the Lone Ranger’s demo “Degenerated,” the song at the center of the film.
Check out a Collider interview with Fraser below in which he talks about his big comeback via The Whale and how the film has shaped the way he’ll pick roles moving forward.