With his "Gods and Monsters" performance generating heavy Golden Globe and Oscar buzz, it would seem that Brendan Fraser ("George of the Jungle," "Encino Man,") might finally be able to put his beefcake loincloth into retirement in favor of meatier roles. Instead, Fraser, who plays yet another cuddly dim bulb in "Blast From the Past" (opening Feb. 5), has chosen a live-action version of "Dudley Do-Right" for his next project, a move that surprised even "Do-Right" director Hugh Wilson. "I thought, the man just did 'George,' he's not going to do this," says Wilson. "And he said, 'Oh, wow, my grandfather was a mountie.' And darned if he didn't agree to sign on."

But even Fraser admits that he's pretty much covered the gamut of cinematic simpletons. "I guess I could say I've had the market cornered on these kinds of roles for the last five or six years," the 31-year-old actor tells EW Online. "Either I gravitate towards these roles or they gravitate towards me." Gravitational pull aside, Fraser is well aware that typecasting can be a tried-and-true job killer: "I'm always looking for different roles, different directions to go in. I realize that from a career standpoint it does make sense to appear in films that are more thoughtful."

Still, there may be at least a few more numskulls in Fraser's future. "Those kinds of roles allow you to make a fresher discovery, to play a moment as if it were brand new because the worlds of these characters are very fantastic," says Fraser. "To be honest, I really enjoy playing them."