Studio Cut

Though Columbia Pictures’ real-life medical thriller “Extraordinary Measures” is largely driven by John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) and Dr. Stonehill (Harrison Ford), Aileen Crowley (Keri Russell) is in many ways the third hero of the story.  “Aileen Crowley said ‘I will take care of the children and give them a normal life, while you go out and look for the cure of our children’s disease. That will be our deal together,’” explains producer Michael Shamberg. “She acts every day like a normal mother but under the surface she’s very tough.”

Director Tom Vaughan knew the casting of this role was crucial:  “It’s a tough role. There is a version of this story where Aileen and the domestic side get sidelined since the two men on their mission is more prominent. I needed to make sure I had an actress who was powerful enough and had the chops to show all aspects of the domestic side of the story, including all the subtleties and the humor which are very important.”

They found the perfect actress to play Aileen in Keri Russell.

“Keri was the first person we met,” says producer Stacy Sher. “We weren’t casting the part yet, but she had read the script and was really moved by it. We loved her. We couldn’t get our meeting with Keri out of our minds. We finally just said to her ‘We know we met you first and we weren’t even going through our process yet but we really want you.’”

“The first time I read the script, it was incredibly emotional,” recalls Russell. “To want something is one thing, but to go after it and create it, it’s incredible. Every parent knows that no matter if your kid has a cold or the flu, or in this case a very rare disease, you want to do something for them. The fact that these parents acted on that instinct to this extent is extremely moving.”

Aileen was thrilled with the casting choice. “How could I not be? She’s beautiful, so sweet and nice. She spent an afternoon just hanging out with the kids, getting to know them. She didn’t have to do that.”

Keri Russell, a familiar face to audiences worldwide, has starred in a number of major motion pictures, independent films and television shows. Most recently audiences saw Russell star in Disney’s “Bedtime Stories” opposite Adam Sandler.

Russell received rave reviews for her starring role in the Fox Searchlight’s romantic comedy “Waitress.”  Russell has starred in a number of major motion pictures including “August Rush,” “Mission Impossible III,” “We Were Soldiers,” and in the independent film “Leaves of Grass” opposite Edward Norton and Susan Sarandon which premiered at The Toronto Film Festival this fall.

Russell first garnered attention when she starred in the title role in the hit television series “Felicity.” Just four months after the show’s acclaimed premiere on the WB, Russell was honored with a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series.

Opening soon across the Philippines , “Extraordinary Measures” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.