Brendan Fraser on playing the real John Crowley in 'Extraordinary Measures'

I’m always trying to diversify my roles. It keeps it interesting for me – same for the audience, I hope. I look towards working with more established directors and actors. I’m quite enthusiastic about all the best new technology that cinema has to offer, starting with 3-D and more recently in terms of CGI. But in particular [I’m enthusiastic about] a film like this one, which has none of those bells and whistles. Extraordinary Measures is the story of what a family will do to save their children, and the lengths to which they’ll go when the odds are stacked up against them.

In my view, John [Crowley] is quite a remarkable individual, one of the most principled people I’ve ever met. And in terms of accomplishments, look at what he’s done in the field of progressing the science of enzyme replacement treatment. But he says his wife Aileen deserves all the medals, which gives you an indication of the kind of guy he is. He’s tenacious, he won’t take no for an answer, and it was a challenge to portray that. I don’t sound like him, we certainly don’t look alike – I’m told he’s very good looking – he’s the head of a pharmaceutical company, and I’m an actor.

I wanted to ensure that I had an opportunity to take a run at the part – not in terms of headlines in a periodical. The story broke in The Wall Street Journal – but in terms of how is it possible that an individual – John [Crowley] is very much alive, a living entity – with a Harvard MBA raised some hundred million dollars, practically single-handedly, in order to save his kids’ lives? And, well, we just worked backwards from there. It became a screenplay after it became a book by Geeta Anand, and now we’ve got a film. Harrison [Ford’s] character is a composite of three, maybe four different scientists and certainly they work together as a metaphor for the core, so much of the ideology scientifically.

Also the determination that [Ford] made as a character choice to provide the edge to press up against, the grit, the hard-nosed stubbornness that turns into a begrudging respect in the relationship between these two men, but sort of through a not-so-subtle stag battle.

How was it working with the other actors on the movie? 

The kids are great in this movie; they were wonderful to work with. Little Meredith Droeger who plays Megan [Crowley]. And Keri [Russell who plays Aileen] is just – she touches everything with a light feather. It’s also that she walks that way too. She’s a former dancer for sure. I don’t think she leaves footprints on the beach where she walks. She’s delightful. I’ve known her since she was a kid, actually, and – I’m making myself sound old here.

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