Hollywood

Brendan Fraser had a knack for playing the role of the clueless geek that can. From the wide-eyed caveman in "Encino Man" to the intellectually challenged George of the Jungle to the overly earnest Dudley Do-Right, the 31-year-old actor has endeared himself to audiences by proving that it's hip to be square. He continues the tradition of self-effacement in Harold Ramis's new film, "Bedazzled." Fraser plays the lovesick dweeb Elliot Richards, a computer-support technician who'll do anything to win the affection of his indifferent co-worker Alison
(Frances O'Connor), even if it means selling his soul to the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) in exchange for seven wishes.

The catch? Each of Elliot's wishes comes with a cruel twist. His dreams of money and power turn him into a Columbian drug lord, while his desire to be the most sensitive guy in the world finds him weeping uncontrollably at the sight of sunsets. Fraser, suffering from the flu and a broken rib incurred while filming "The Mummy Returns" in Morocco, caught up with Newsweek's Lorraine Ali in New York to discuss the old adage "Be careful what you wish for."

Ali: It's painful to watch Elliot for the first 15 minutes
of the film. He's such a hopeless, pandering geek.

Fraser: I know. I cringed too. it's like, "Oh, stop, stop!" He's drenched with desire to have acceptance and be loved, to have friends. But he just doesn't know when enough's enough. He shadows people. You can't shake him. He's like a burr on your shoelace. It was a tricky part to play. You have to find a way to earn sympathy for him without making the audience want to murder him. He's got it coming, just let him have it! But in a pinch, he can be your hero-just love him, pleeease, 40 times an hour.

Of all seven characters you play in "Bedazzled," who was your favorite?
Aside from Elliot? The basketball guy. I loved shooting those crazy, blind aviator, loopty-doop, double-bumpty-bump clunk shots. Then there's the sensitive guy who sings songs about dolphins. His teeth are kinda ground down 'cause he's anxious. His hair is pink, rather than red, and it's receding in a way he's trying to be confident about and own. I also liked the Eastern, Blue-blooded intellectual, but so did his boyfriend. Elliot didn't think that wish out very well.

Was it like making six different films?
Yes. Harold [Ramis] was joking that no matter what happens, I'm gonna get a hell of a demo reel out of this movie. Finally, the world will know that Brendan Fraser has diverse talent. Want a Columbian drug lord? You've got it!

Are you worried that you haven't been a versatile enough actor?
I try and make choices that will allow me to have a different thing to do every time out. Conceptually, I don't want to get bored with it. Audiences should expect the actors they patronize to stretch and head in different directions.

You know I have to ask this. If you were face to face with the Devil, what would you wish for?
I don't believe in wishing. You have to work for things, as Elliot Richards learned in "Bedazzled." But if I had even one wish? Hmm, it wouldn't be for world peace, because it might set the tilt of the universe off it's axis. We need chaos to balance the world. OK, how about-no one suffers in the world for one day, just one day. But tomorrow, watch out. It's gonna be twice as bad.

Were you a geek growing up?
Definitely. But we're all geeks growing up. Let's face it, it was hell. But it's kinda hip to show those junior-high-school pictures now, the orthodontic gear around the head. It's like a badge of honor. I had braces with rubber bands. I could shoot them across the room. You had to tilt your head for the right trajectory or you hit your nose, and that's just not cool.

So you've learned to love your inner geek?
Embrace your dorkdom, or rail against it. The choice is yours.