MovieZen Blog

Fraser still holds ‘Mummy’ dear

Brendan Fraser comes back for his second action go-round this summer – and his third installment of “The Mummy” franchise – with “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.” Still, he’s no Harrison Ford in the vein of Indiana Jones heroics, at least according to Fraser himself.

“There's no comparison to Rick O’Donnell,” he says, “because there's just no replacing Indy."

“I'm sorry. Harrison Ford is a man's man, and I love the Indy.  I met Harrison when I gave him the Brass Balls award at the Spike (TV) Awards recently.  You might have seen it, and he is an actual hero of mine.  Come on, it's Harrison Ford!" 

“I do have to tell you, though, that I think each role stands on its own. Each one is a genre piece, action-adventure. I think that every actor brings something to it in the way that they do it and the way that they like to do it.”

The almost-40 Fraser, whose nifty “Journey to the Center of the Earth” is still raking in summer box office bucks, does have some affinity for theses kinds of roles.

“You branch out and figure out things that work for you,” he says. “You look at certain genres of movies that are along a similar vein, like the 'Indiana Jones' films and 'Gunga Din' before doing 'The Mummy.'

“I even remember watching 'Lawrence of Arabia,' which was shot in the same neighborhood. Why do those all have such an endearing quality to them? Maybe because you actually went there and proved it and you did it on location. It is work, it’s a labor, and it's a very good job.”

Fraser, who has “Inkheart” coming out in January, not to mention a cameo in the much-anticipated “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” next summer, adds that he would be willing to return to unravel a fourth “Mummy,” if one should come his way.

“First, I'm going to check with my knee sports surgeon and see if I have enough fluid in my knees,” he says with a chuckle. “But, yeah, why not? I'm up for it."

“Again it all depends on the screenplay. It depends on the story. It depends on how this one goes over and it depends on if people want this. I couldn't go anywhere in the last six, seven years without a kid, or a guy who grabs your bag, or someone on the street, people in pinstripes on elevators going, 'When is there going to be another "Mummy" movie?'

“I've been like, 'Well, I've been waiting for the call myself because I missed playing Rick O'Connell.’ I'm guilty. I admit it. I have a good time doing this. Playing Rick, you get to do a lot of fun stuff.”

And, apparently, audiences really enjoy watching Fraser have that kind of fun.

John M. Urbancich
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Briem’s first film “Journey” might take her places

Remember the 1959 version of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” with James Mason, Pat Boone and a goose named Gertrude?

Well, a new film of the same name opens Friday. It’s based more on the Jules Verne novel than the original, becomes the first live-action movie filmed entirely in digital 3D, and enjoys a likable three-person cast, pared down considerably from the Mason-led masses that discovered the cinematic world below almost half a century ago.

One of the adventurous trio, newcomer Anita Briem, makes what she calls her “North American debut” in joining Brendan Fraser and young Josh Hutcherson (“Bridge to Terabithia”) in the fun-filled summer adventure.

“When I was going through the auditioning process for this film -- which was no small deal -- I think that I broke, officially, Cameron Diaz's record for how many times she auditioned for ‘The Mask' with how many times I auditioned for this.

“It was about 25,” says the 26-year-old blonde with the poise and smile that might signal a real future in the biz. “Throughout it they seemed confused. They were like, 'So you're really from Iceland?' It was like they didn't really think there was such a thing as that. That’s why my Icelandic accent seemed to go from being extremely exotic to my toning it down a little bit and blending it like a color pallet so that it's something that was more comfortable for the ears.”

Briem, not so ironically, plays an Icelandic mountain guide. Regardless, even in a movie where effects literally come at you from all angles, her apparent acting chops come naturally, too.

“My background is mostly in theater,” she says. “I was in The National Theater of Iceland from age 9, and my parents are both musicians. My dad arguably is the most talented drummer in Europe, so I grew up very much in that environment actually, sort of sleeping behind drum kits and falling asleep on studio floors.”

Next up for Briem is “The Storyteller,” opposite Wes Bentley. She already has completed a season of filming on Showtime’s “The Tudors,” in which she is seen as Jane Seymour.

“Yes. Sweet Lady Jane,” Briem concludes. “She's very sweet and plucked from her father's arms when she's 18 years old and sort of swept up by the king. Playing her was quite the contrast to Hannah in this film.”

Indeed. And obviously as striking opposite the often-beastly Henry VIII in “Tu-D” as she is fighting off those effects beasts in 3D.

John M. Urbancich
JMuvies

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