Brendan Fraser on Broadway: Crazy in Europe

Brendan Fraser in Jan. 2010: Tuukka Jantti, PacificCoastNews.com

Fraser's career takes surprising turn.

Brendan Fraser may be best known for his work in "The Mummy" and even "Encino Man," but most recently he's taken on the challenge of the raw stage. After researching by spending some time in Europe, Fraser's starring on Broadway in "Elling"...and so far, the reviews are good.

Brendan Fraser  saw relatively steady work after he rocked audiences as Link in 1992's "Encino Man," but apart from some animated comedies and "The Mummy," Fraser's presence has slowed considerably in recent years.

That's the case for the bigscreen, anyway; but in reality Fraser's had his hands full with some pretty challenging roles. In 2001 Brendan tried his hand onstage the London's production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," and now he's gone European again...this time, on Broadway.

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Brendan Fraser, 41, plays the lead in "Elling," which is being described as an "Odd Couple"- type show with mental patients that's set in modern-day Norway. Fraser spent time in Oslo to prepare for the part and had a pretty abnormal itinerary to understand his character -- as ABC News puts it, Fraser "wanted to go to Oslo, Norway. There, he hoped to eat pork and gravy, walk by a lake, visit a mental institution, talk to social workers, grab a beer with some car mechanics, hang out at a poetry reading, munch on a hot dog, dial up a phone sex line and buy some comic books and porno." Fraser adds he also wanted to learn to swear in Norwegian.

Apparently the research paid off, as execs and cast of the show sound pretty content with where it's headed. "This is an actor with immense bravery," Fraser's co-star Denis O'Hare says. "He has gone flat-out and has never winced once when our director, Doug Hughes, makes a criticism."

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Fraser said his passion for Broadway was inspired by a childhood trip to New York when he got separated from his family and met a good-hearted taxi driver. "I thought, 'Wow. New York is the coolest place,'" Fraser says. "I guess a seed of some sort was planted."

But will we see him back in "The Mummy" franchise? "Hey, guess what?" the divorced dad of three says. "I have bills to pay, too."

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