He’s portrayed a caveman, a district attorney, an archaeologist and the object of Ian McKellen’s affections, but lately, Brendan Fraser has been busy playing the role of dad to his three young sons. So much so that the actor hasn’t starred in a mainstream movie since Looney Tunes in 2003. But Fraser sure is making up for lost time.

This summer, Fraser reprises his role as Rick O’Connell in the third instalment of the US$850 million-grossing The Mummy franchise, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, where he does battle with a three-headed dragon and a certain terracotta troublemaker (Jet Li).

Later in the month, catch him in Journey to the Center of the Earth as a scientist who joins his nephew (Josh Hutcherson) and an Icelandic mountain guide (Anita Briem) for a trip to the earth’s core. Cue an avalanche of man-eating plants, giant flying piranha, glow birds and a rampaging T-rex.

Even though Fraser’s last big-budget movie was five years ago, he says he never felt like he was slacking off, probably because he continued working throughout his hiatus.

Fraser shot Journey two years ago, but the film – the first narrative feature photographed in digital 3D – was reportedly held up while cinemas in the US equipped themselves with the technology necessary to screen 3-D films. (Journey will be screened in a 2D format in Singapore.)

The Mummy was completed in 2007 but the extraordinary number of computer-generated images took months to finesse. This year, Fraser finished two more features – Inkheart and G. I. Joe, both due in 2009.

A long-time fan of the Jules Verne novel, on which Journey to the Center of the Earth is based, Fraser says he responded instantly to the “mythic qualities” of the yarn.

“I love the idea of this misfit trio setting off on an adventure,” says the actor. “You start off with these heroes, none of whom like each other that much. But they’re stuck in a sticky situation and have to learn to work together to survive.”

From the start, Fraser and director Eric Brevig were determined to focus as much on the human element as the special effects. “Eric and I agreed that if you don’t care about the characters and the story, you just end up watching a fireworks display.”

That said, Journey certainly doesn’t stint on visual delights. One of the most eye-popping treats is the scene where a flying piranha jumps off the screen. “To simulate the fish, a blue football was thrown at me,” says Fraser, who turns 40 in December. “I caught it occasionally if it didn’t bounce off my forehead like it was supposed to.”

After three Mummy movies – not to mention Looney Tunes and Monkeybone – Fraser has become an expert at acting opposite computer-generated beasties of all sizes and shapes.

“You pick up a few tricks along the way,” he admits. “But you also have to forget those tricks and remember that you’re an actor. It’s your job to perform and believe in what you’re doing.

“With these CGI-intensive movies, the f/x geniuses do their thing and fuse it with your thing, and deliver it to audiences. Then everybody is happy.”

Fraser is happy when he gets to mix it up. Before it was considered cool for mainstream actors to appear as supporting players in independent films, Fraser played second fiddle to Ian McKellen in Gods and Monsters. In the years since, he’s continued to alternate studio fare like George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right with indies like Crash and The Quiet American.

As much as Fraser enjoys indies, he also loves his big-budget action films. He begged Stephen Sommers, director of the first two Mummy movies for a role in G.I. Joe. “I am a red-blooded, American-Canadian kid,” says Fraser, born to Canadian parents but who grew up in Indianapolis. “My G.I. Joe action figure wound up twisting from a tree from his parachute for an entire winter. I loved him.”

According to Fraser, his three sons – aged 2, 3 and 5 – aren’t quite old enough to appreciate his latest string of films. “I wish they could see Journey but they’re too small,” notes the actor, who recently split with his wife of ten years, Afton Smith. “The youngest is two and he’s all about Spongebob. And don’t even mention the Wiggles to me.”

After more than two decades in the movie business, Fraser admits he was a bit puzzled by the studios’ decision to wait so long before turning out a follow-up to The Mummy Returns, which was released in 2001. “It took seven years for them to call, dude,” he says. “I was ready. I think what happened is that maybe the folks went and looked at a flow chart and said, ‘Wait, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns – those films make money. We need another Mummy movie right away!’”

While Mummy co-star Rachel Weisz won’t return for Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Fraser has a new pairing in the form of Luke Ford, who plays his 21-year-old son. The connection between the two characters infuses the film with an emotional element that Fraser finds intriguing.

“Rob Cohen, our new director, has a theory that when teenagers become 20somethings, fathers start looking over their shoulders to the days of yore

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor opens July 25; Journey to the Center of the Earth opens Aug 7.