The Hilarious Piece Of Direction Stephen Sommers Shouted Through A Bullhorn On Set Of The Mummy
Although much of Brendan Fraser's recent press buzz has been related to his critically-acclaimed performance in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale," the famous American actor is still most well-known as the lead in the highly-successful "The Mummy" franchise.
In 1999's "The Mummy," Fraser plays Rick O'Connell — an archeologist and adventurer whose combat experience and penchant for violence make him not unlike fellow action hero Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). In the original "Mummy," Rick and his cohorts accidentally raise an ancient high priest named Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) from the dead, who enslaves the population of Cairo, Egypt using dark magic. Although Rick would eventually defeat Imhotep after Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) returned him to a mortal form, their fight against the undead was far from over. "The Mummy" would go on to spawn two highly successful sequels, "The Mummy Returns" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Empire," as well as the spinoff "The Scorpion King."
Although the electric performance of Brendan Fraser obviously had a significant impact on the incredible success of "The Mummy," much of that success is also due to the work of director Stephen Sommers, who managed to adapt the film's outdated source material (1932's "The Mummy") into a timeless action adventure. Fraser still has fond memories of working with Stephen Sommers on set, recalling one particularly hilarious piece of direction Sommers often shouted through a bullhorn.
Sommer would scream don't suck just before the start of a scene
During a recent interview with GQ, Brendan Fraser broke down several of his most iconic career roles. When discussing "The Mummy," the actor recalled that director Stephen Sommers would repeatedly yell at the cast to "not suck" through a bullhorn.
"One of [Sommers'] favorite directions that he would give was, he'd go, 'Ready ... and ... don't suck! Action!' through a bullhorn," Fraser said, laughing. "And we'd like ... Things would blow up, and stuff would fall down and then animals on fire ... 'Okay, we got it! Let's do it again!'"
Fraser went on to fondly recall how passionate Sommer was during the filming of "The Mummy" and how this hilarious anecdote is just another example of the director's infectious enthusiasm on set. Fraser finished by saying, "I loved making that movie," emphasizing just how fun it was to work on Sommers' set and receive those types of directions. Although "don't suck" may not seem like the most helpful piece of advice to give to an actor about to perform a dramatic scene or life-threatening stunt, it's clear that Fraser took it in stride — and that this hilarious piece of direction from Stephen Sommers remains a fond memory for him to this day.