Why Ben Stiller Lost Encino Man To Brendan Fraser & How To See His Screen Test

While he never quite quit acting altogether, Brendan Fraser reemerged in the public eye as the star of Darren Aronofsky's 2022 feature "The Whale" after some time away from Hollywood. It was a run of blockbusters in the '90s and 2000s, of course, that first turned Fraser into a household name and later made his present-day comeback such a big deal. The film that jumpstarted his career was the 1992 caveman comedy "Encino Man," which was just his fifth screen acting credit and first lead role in a feature. Fraser wasn't always supposed to be Link in "Encino Man," however, as he only got the gig after Ben Stiller had almost landed the part.

During an extensive oral history of the film published by Inverse, director Les Mayfield and writer/producer George Zaloom shared some brief insight into Stiller's early involvement in "Encino Man." According to Mayfield, Stiller played the part of Link the caveman well, but he wasn't ultimately available when they needed him. "What I recall is, once we actually got our start dates locked up, there was a conflict and he wasn't available," he said.

Meanwhile, Zaloom simply suggested that Fraser was a better fit. "[Stiller] was even screen-tested. And he did a really good job. But at some point, we had seen Brendan. Brendan just nailed it," he recalled. 

Just how good a job did Stiller do? Fortunately for fans of "Encino Man" interested in this aspect of its history, his screen test is freely available on the internet.

After the public found out that Ben Stiller screen tested for the part of Link in "Encino Man," Pauly Shore, who plays Stoney in the film, unearthed footage of the screen test from his personal collection and posted it to his personal YouTube account.

The screen test, it turns out, features full sets and costumes, to the extent it could almost be a scene from the final product were it not for a visible time code and its unique cast. As the caveman Link, Stiller is heavily made up to look like a prehistoric human. He's in a suburban bedroom, presumably just after being unfrozen like the character is near the start of the actual film.

Meanwhile, it's Jeff Maynard playing an early version of Stoney, alongside Keith Coogan portraying what would become Sean Astin's character, Dave. Before the screen test ends, Link gets a makeover soundtracked by Red Hot Chili Peppers' cover of "Higher Ground," making him resemble the band's vocalist, Anthony Kiedis, and his look from that era.

This footage doesn't necessarily recontextualize "Encino Man" to any significant degree, but it does offer a glimpse of an alternate history in which one of Stiller's first lead roles in a major comedy film would have come a few years before "Heavyweights" premiered in 1995 and almost a decade before "Zoolander" in 2001.