BY JOY FANG

PERHAPS it was jet lag or an off day for Canadian- American actor Brendan Fraser, who was less than forthcoming at interviews yesterday.

In town for the 3DX Film Festival, the 39-year-old flew in on Tuesday and attended a 3-D screening of his latest film, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, at VivoCity yesterday.

But when quizzed on working with famous martial-arts actor Jet Li, he came up strangely short, calling him "outstanding" and "awesome".

The two starred in The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor, the third instalment of the popular adventure franchise, The Mummy.

And, when asked about a lawsuit that Fraser had been named in, the actor - who ended a nine-year marriage last year with actress Afton Smith, with whom he has three sons - looked stunned at first, then annoyed.

He was named in a gun lawsuit in August by two former employees of a Burbank, California, shooting range.

He was allegedly allowed to fire machine guns with leaded ammunition after hours, as part of training for his role in The Mummy last year. It is against city regulations to do so.

When the two employees complained about the incident to the city's fire department, they were reportedly terminated from their jobs.

Fraser said: "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He paused before saying: "Okay, good day, see you later. Bye."

He then stormed into the movie theatre.

This behaviour is in stark contrast to the gregarious, high-spirited funnyman that Fraser often portrays in movies. Films like George Of The Jungle (1997) or Monkeybone (2002) depict him as a loveable, benign character.

He will continue to pursue such roles, as family-friendly fare have "the broadest appeal and the best box-office returns", he said.

Next up for Fraser is G.I. Joe: Rise Of Cobra, slated for release next year.

For more my paper stories click here.