Brendan Fraser Premieres 'Inkheart' in NYC

Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany (with wife Jennifer Connelly and their kids) and the cast of 'Inkheart' battled the bitter chill of Manhattan with the premiere of their heartwarming new fantasy-adventure Thursday night. In addition to mounting excitement about Barack Obama's January 20 inauguration, the stars were talking about the crash of USAir Flight 1549 into the Hudson River that afternoon -- and the miracle that everyone on board survived unhurt!

"Good news!" Brendan told "The Insider." "I'm glad that everyone is apparently safe, and I'm really impressed by the response and capability of the [professionals involved in the rescue]."

"I'm so pleased that nobody died; it's one of those awful nightmares -- you're frightened every time you take off," said Paul. "That's great news."

Brendan added that while he will not be attending the Inauguration ceremonies in Washington D.C., "I'm going to be watching it from afar and watching with my family [but] I'm very excited about it."

Based on the beloved young adult fantasy novel, 'Inkheart' stars Brendan as Mortimer Folchart, a father who has the magical ability to bring characters from any book to life when he reads aloud. But when his daughter is kidnapped by a power-hungry villain ('Lord of the Rings' star Andy Serkis) from a children's fable that he accidentally brings to life, Mo must assemble a team of friends -- real and magical -- to rescue her. The film also stars Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Eliza Bennett, Sienna Guillory and Connelly.

"It's a great book," says Brendan. "Kids love to read, and if they didn't before, they’re certain to be inspired to now."

'Inkheart' opens in theaters everywhere January 23.

Published 1/16/09 by the Insider

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