Brendan Fraser is delivering an apology 25 years in the making.
During a red carpet interview with SFGate at the screening for "The Whale" in San Francisco, the actor addressed a situation that happened in the city over two decades ago while filming "George of the Jungle."
Fraser recalled being on set in San Francisco for the 1997 film, which followed the love story of George, who was raised by an ape in the jungle after a plane crash, and Ursula Stanhope (played by Leslie Mann), an heiress from San Francisco.
In one scene, George rescues a parachutist from the Bay Bridge, and the filming crew used a mannequin in order to execute the stunt. However, it turned out proper permission to do the stunt was never granted by the city, which Fraser pieced together when a special news report came on while watching TV in his trailer from across the parking lot.
"There’s this dummy parachutist hanging from it. I had the TV on, and 'Oprah’ got interrupted because there was a special news report with helicopters saying a parachute is dangling on the bridge," the actor recalled.
"And I’m going — wait a minute, I’m looking at the helicopters and TV — somebody didn’t pull a permit, somebody’s going to get in trouble with the mayor’s office," Fraser continued.
Fraser explained that the incident "brought traffic to a standstill on either side of the bridge" and that he can "apologize for that."
Later that evening, after a video highlighted Fraser's career during the screening, he thanked the audience and apologized once again to the crowd for the "George of the Jungle" stunt 25 years ago.
“So, that said — my bad, it won’t happen again,” he told the audience.
Fraser attended the event at the Mill Valley Film Festival in the Bay Area for his role as Charlie in "The Whale," a man who struggles with severe obesity and tries to reconnect with his estranged 17-year-old daughter, Ellie. The movie premieres Dec. 9 but has already garnered attention, getting a six-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
