Hollywood actor Brendan Fraser was at this year's Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) to promote his latest fantasy film, Inkheart, which is due out in UAE cinemas later this month.

Emirates Business met the funnyman for a bizarre yet entertaining chat.


It seems that Cornelia Funke, the writer of the book on which Inkheart is based, had you in mind as the lead character.

It's a funny story. This book shows up on my doorstep inscribed, "To Brendan, thank you for inspiring this character. I hope you get to read this aloud to your kids one day", with Cornelia Funke on the cover, and I thought it was a joke. But when the film was proposed, she refused to sign over the film rights until I agreed to play the lead role of Mortimer. Being new to the world of filmmaking she wanted to know more, and it was a lot of work bringing the novel to screen. But I'm delighted that the movie is at Diff 2008 because a screenplay like this seems to be in step with the contemporary quality in Dubai.

Is making movies for children the big thing in Hollywood right now?

The book has the quality of being jagged which doesn't restrict it to a particular audience. And making a film for kids is the last thing kids want. You can't kid a kid, they'll walk out of the theatre if the movie isn't good.

What was it like working with Helen Mirren and your young co-star Eliza Bennett?

They're both fantastic. And Helen actually won her last Oscar during the shooting of Inkheart. I remember a time when Eliza got hold of Helen's Oscar and I was thinking: "You better get your acceptance speech ready kiddo, because you'll be winning one of these when you're older." But can I just say something? Nobody has ever asked me what it was like to work with Bugs Bunny. Well, I just want to say that Bugs Bunny is a cool guy, but Daffy Duck steals scenes.

Who else do you admire?

I admire people in the real world. I've read Ray Bradbury's story where this man goes hunting for dinosaurs and steps on a butterfly and then everything goes wrong and he comes back weird.

You said you'd love to do a fourth installment of The Mummy so that you can pay your mortgage. Is it all about the money?

You do some movies for the love and some for the money. You need to strike a balance.

What has been your biggest investment apart from your house?

Definitely my children. Everything's for them.

You have a role in the upcoming GI Joe movie. Tell us more.

I just have a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. I'm a fan so I told the producer I'll do anything for a part. GI Joe to me is what SpongeBob Squarepants is to my kids.