The Diversity Of Brendan Fraser

Actor Brendan Fraser is best known for his diverse screen roles in "The Mummy", "Gods And Monsters" and "George Of The Jungle".

In his latest dramatic film, "The Quiet American," he plays an idealistic Economic Aid worker in 1952's Vietnam, who may not be who he appears. Fraser discusses the role on The Early Show.

Adapted from the novel by Graham Greene, the movie takes place at the height of the Vietnamese fight for independence from French colonial rule.

In it, American Aid worker Alden Pyle (Fraser) meets and befriends London Times correspondent Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine). However, he becomes infatuated with Fowler's young Vietnamese mistress Phuong (Hai Yen). The love triangle leads to murder.

Fraser says he wanted the role because he was familiar with the novel and liked the way the script touched on such subjects as ageism, lost love, colonialism and expansionism.

He says working with Caine was a great experience because he learned from the actor how to be a professional but to have fun, too.

"The Quiet American" is considered an important novel in Vietnam, so much so that the country's communist government gave the production its full support. He says the Vietnamese feel it illuminates what was going on in the years leading up to the Vietnam War, and gives a fair and balanced view.

It took a while for the movie's distributor, Miramax, to release "The Quiet American," despite its positive reviews. Some speculate that Miramax was afraid the movie would be viewed as anti-American during a sensitive time after the Sept. 11 attack on New York and Washington D.C.

Fraser says he was disappointed to see Miramax keep the movie from being released, but he understood the sensitive issues the movie was addressing. He says Miramax eventually released the film after a successful showing at the Toronto Film Festival.

Fraser has played a diverse range of characters — from comical to serious roles. He says the different roles he chooses helps ensure his success and helps him stretch himself as an actor.

However, Fraser may find that his newest real-life role could be the most challenging — as a father. He says fatherhood changed his life because it showed him how to love.

It may explain his choice for his next movie. Fraser will pair with some cartoonish characters in "Looney Tunes: Back in Action." The film follows Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Taz, Tweety and Fraser from Hollywood to Las Vegas to Africa in search of Fraser's father and the mysterious Blue Diamond. The film is scheduled for a November 2003 release.

Some Facts About Brendan Fraser

• Brendan James Fraser was born in Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 3, 1968
• Fraser attended Upper Canada College Preparatory School in Toronto, Canada; Majored in theater (BFA) at the Actors Conservatory, Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Wash.
• Fraser interned at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle after college
• In 1991, Fraser made his feature debut in a bit part with one line in Nancy Savoca's "Dogfight"; he made his television acting debut in "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" (NBC)
• In 1992, Fraser starred in "Encino Man" and "School Ties"
• In 1995, Fraser had a small role as a Vietnam veteran in the 1970s flashback segments of "Now and Then"; Appeared with Parker Posey, Martin Short and Elizabeth Perkins in the L.A. production of John Patrick Shanley's "Four Dogs and a Bone"
• In 1997, Fraser had the title role in the surprise box-office success "George of the Jungle", a live-action version of the cartoon; He earned critical praise for his dramatic performance in "Still Breathing"
• In 1998, Fraser co-starred as the gardener who is befriended by film director James Whale in "Gods and Monsters," Bill Condon's adaptation of Christopher Bram's novel "Father of Frankenstein"
• In 1999, Fraser played a 35-year-old who was raised in an underground bunker in the comedy "Blast From the Past"; Fraser also starred in the remake of "The Mummy"; He starred in the live-action adaptation of the cartoon "Dudley Do-Right"
• In 2000, Fraser starred in remake of "Bedazzled"
• In 2001, Fraser re-teamed with director Stephen Sommers for Universal Pictures' blockbuster "The Mummy Returns"; Fraser performed in a London stage revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"