Brendan Fraser is best known as a tongue-in-cheek leading man who adds a much needed dose of humor to blockbusters like Journey To The Center Of The Earth and the recent Mummy series.
But for all his one-liners and physical comedy, Fraser is also an actor more than happy to take a serious turn with the right role. The upcoming Extraordinary Measures is one such movie in which he plays the real life figure of John Crowley, a successful businessman who gave up his career to pursue a cure for the rare Pompe disease afflicting his children.
“John Crowley’s story is remarkable,” Fraser told Metro. “He married his high school sweetheart, went to Harvard for an MBA, and then was told that two of his children were diagnosed with a very rare disease that would take their lives by the age of eight. But he didn’t just stay in his comfortable job. He wanted more and so he had to navigate a very murky and ethically ambiguous path of business, medicine, life, and death.”
It’s a heartwarming story that has been turned into an equally touching film with Fraser at the center alongside Harrison Ford as a prickly scientist who teams up with Crowley to save his children.
For Fraser the movie presented an opportunity that he couldn’t resist.
Not only was he was given a role that he could identify with — “As a father, I know that feeling of paternal protection,” claimed the actor — , but the film also allowed Fraser to work with Harrison Ford, whom he has always admired.
“Once I got past my hero worship and saw him work, I admired him even more,” said Fraser.
“He learned as much about the science behind the film as possible so that he would never condescend to the audience. I heard that Harrison did a bank heist movie recently and was even adamant about knowing exactly how to rip off a bank. I don’t want to know what sources he got for that one.”
Extraordinary Measures was clearly a film of personal importance for Fraser and one that he is quite proud of. However, fans of his more mainstream fair shouldn’t be concerned that he’s abandoning blockbusters for drama.
“Like Harrison, I like to work,” claimed Fraser. “Whether it’s high brow or low brow, I always learn something from the movies and enjoy my career. It’s a privilege to do this.”
