When you interview people during a press junket, you never know what they’ll want to talk about. You can ask a question and hope for a response, but inevitably they’ll move the conversation to the subjects they want to focus on. So when I got the chance to interview Brendan Fraser earlier today for the movie “The Air I Breathe,” I was not only hoping to talk about this current project, but to also cover his other big movies arriving later this year – “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” “Inkheart” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.”
While we spent a lot of time on “The Air I Breathe,” I did manage to get some questions in on the other projects and he gave me a very interesting answer about “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.” It seems that the cameras they used to make the film are the same ones that James Cameron designed for use on his upcoming mega budget sci-fi film “Avatar.” So while you may have not wanted to see “Journey” as it’s a family friendly film, if you’re a fan of James Cameron, it’s now a must see event.
After the interview ended I asked Brendan if he’d seen any footage and how it looked, he gave me a big grin and said you’ll love it. I cannot wait.
Anyway, here’s the interview. As usual I listed the questions I asked above the clip. And if you don’t know about “The Air I Breathe,” here’s the synopsis. I’ll also be posting some clips later tonight.
Four short fables in which characters collide with fate – and each other – comprise The Air I Breathe, a drama from debuting director/writer Jieho Lee. Boasting an ensemble cast, the film is inspired by a Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four key emotions – Happiness, Sorrow, Pleasure, and Love – and each vignette is built around a character who embodies one of these key emotions.
A businessman (Forest Whitaker) bets his life on a horse race, a gangster (Brendan Fraser) sees the future, a pop star (Sarah Michelle Gellar) falls prey to a crime boss (Andy Garcia) and a doctor (Kevin Bacon) must save the love of his life. Based on a Chinese proverb, these four overlapping stories dramatize the four emotional cornerstones of life: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Forest Whittaker, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brendan Fraser, Julie Delpy and Emile Hirsch.
“The Air I Breathe” opens on January 25th in NY/LA and expands on February 8th.
Brendan Fraser
- How did he originally come to the project and was it the character’s name of Pleasure that brought him to the role. His answer covers a lot of the movie.
- I ask him about producing Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D.
- I ask him to compare the film to Beowulf as that was 3D.
- He tells me that the cameras they used for the movie came from James Cameron and they are the same ones he is using on Avatar!
- Finally, I ask what audiences can look forward to in the new Mummy movie.
