Brendan Fraser: The Air He Breathes

Hunky Brendan Fraser's name is Pleasure. Uh, just how well do we actually know this actor? Not THAT well. We are referring to the name he and his story were given in the new Film Noir-ish movie The Air I Breathe. This creative film interlocks the stories of several people, all of whom represent a human emotion; Pleasure, Sorrow, Happiness and Love. That is not to say that the characters aren't dealing with the total opposite of those emotions as their short fables evolve.

Fraser plays a reluctant enforcer; a tuff guy with a kind heart who works for Fingers (Andy Garcia), a mobish kingpin who runs several rackets in a mythical big city. The twist to Brendan's character is that he can see into the future of everyone he comes across but is clueless when it comes to his own life. When he falls for the popstar diva he is supposed to be guarding, very well played by Sarah Michelle Gellar BTW, the thug has to deal with his strong feelings and a possible unpleasant fate.

Usually an action hero or a comic character in films (the "Mummy" movies or Encino Man, Blast From the Past, School Ties etc.), Brendan was happy and challenged to play a very mentally-tortured character, a man of few words carrying a load of pain. We were reminded that he has also taken on some very dramatic film faire in Crash, The Quiet American and Gods and Monsters.

We got the chance to chat with Brendan in Beverly Hills recently and enjoyed his laid-back biker/rocker vibe and gear consisting of black leather jacket and leather wrist cuffs, jeans and a cool black long-sleeved tee with an eagle motif on it. We know we'll soon see Fraser in big budget upcoming films Inkheart, another "Mummy" installment and Journey 3-D but, for now, let's delve into a Noir-ish thriller...

TeenHollywood: You were in Crash. Did you think about the dovetailing story structure of this film and compare it to Crash?

Brendan: That's a good point. In Crash, it's sort of an effect of physics, one thing effecting another effecting another. This film is more or less centered around philosophical connections that are made among the stories, the vignettes. But I do appreciate that attention to detail that comes with directors who try and tie everything in; it's so much more satisfying to me to see a film like that or to be a part of that.

TeenHollywood: You do so many action roles, did you like the stillness of your character in this film? So much of his emotion is kept inside.

Brendan: He's emotionally a wreck.

TeenHollywood: Was that an interesting challenge for you as an actor; a contrast to your big action roles? You're a man of few words in this.

Brendan: 'Brendan, cork it!' 'What? What?' [he laughs]. That's why we had a director! [Young director] Jieho [Lee], I think, had reticence about casting me in this part, as much as I wanted it. I kind of had to play poker with him. I think he knows what he wants so, once we grew to trust each other after meeting a few times, I let him know that this is something that's just not asked of me and that's the reason why I wanted to do this. Honestly, I've been very, very fortunate to be able to work. After The Quiet American wrapped, the first thing Michael Caine said was 'Well, that's it. I guess that's off to social security for me.' [he tries to do Caine's voice]. I do a very bad Michael Caine impression. It's awful [we laugh]. But he was a kid from the East End [of London]. He never lost his appreciation for being lucky enough to do this.

TeenHollywood: What did you think about this character when you read the script?

Brendan: Well, it wasn't a laugh fest although Emile Hirsch was, I think, outrageously funny. I didn't know at the time, but I was the straight man and he was the joker [laughs]. And what is this odd-ball couple doing together? This punky, horny, little foul-mouthed kid and this statue-faced, chain smoking, terse looking, slightly irritated all the time gangster who doesn't want to be a gangster. He had a tragic thing happen in his childhood and he has this bizarre ability to have premonitions, or hunches that he doesn't necessarily want. You want to go to your dark side to tell those stories. You need that to press up against that so that every one of these characters can follow the path of redemption. And I think that's a big ode to Film Noir.

TeenHollywood: Did the fact that the characters don't have names kind of attract or freak you out?

Brendan: When I read the screenplay, I thought, 'it's fascinating that life can be distilled into four corners; happiness, love, sorrow, pleasure'. They created characters and they took those emotions away from them. They said none of those characters have those things. Then pit them against each other and against themselves to grow and become those things at least in this journey they take. In the case of Sorrow, Sarah's character, she has every reason to be on top of the world, but she's not; her career has just hit a wall, and she's getting ripped off by all these sycophants.

TeenHollywood: You are both very good in this film.

Brendan: Over the hundred movies Sarah's made, I think this is one that comes from a very strong personal place for her and she understood what she was doing every step of the way.

TeenHollywood: You and Sarah's character's romance is kind of sad and not that typical.

Brendan: Well he is not a man who has any pleasure, until he meets the woman who is the yin to his yang. She, too, had a childhood experience that was traumatizing. They find each other, and then they're able to grow and have love; it's a dangerous love, for sure. But the stoicism that comes with that, it's been a monk-like existence for him. He doesn't beat up people because he wants to, and he's not even good at fighting, but it's become a routine. He just knows what's going to happen next. He knows to duck, he just knows. And he knows his life is like a video game. He feels bad about it but that's the curse for him. He can't change the future, he just knows what it is. But, by the time he has love and loses that plague of visions, then he says, 'I can make a difference in somebody's life. I can make their day better. I can make their day worse.'

TeenHollywood: Your character can see into the future. Would you want to do that?

Brendan: I don't want to be able to read minds. I don't want to be able to fly, or levitate. I don't want to be able to breathe underwater. But I will trust my gut, a lot more. And I think that's what you want to do with intuition. Sometimes when the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, you just go make a left turn or say, 'I don't like it, this is not helpful. Try something different'. I'm okay with that.

TeenHollywood: Before you leave, can you tell me anything about the third "Mummy" movie? Rachel Weisz isn't doing it?

Brendan: Well, Rachel has baby Henry to think about now; that might have been a haul for her. I can't speak for her but, being a father, I understand, I didn't bring my kids over either. And, Maria Bello's fantastic. I think it's good that seven years have passed, so we can look at this with fresh eyes. There's even better technology from a filmmaking standpoint. This [new "Mummy"] film was well supported. We shot on locations outside Beijing and Shanghai, China. Back in deserts again, the sand, 'ick!' [He indicates sand in his nose and eyes]. I have fond hopes for it. Jet Li is a cool cat. I didn't get anything broken on me, and we pound on each other a lot. He knows his job. But, his stunt double went down! [we laugh]. We had a good time making that movie, for sure. Look, it's a role, it's a character. Rick O'Connell could have been played by, I don't know, Ryan Gosling. It doesn't matter, it's a role, and one that I really enjoyed doing and that's why I wanted to come back again, cause Rick O'Connell is a lot of fun to play.