Oded Fehr is glad that Ardeth Bay has a lot more to contend with this time, because more monsters equals more screen time for this Israeli-born actor to show his stuff. While Fehr’s action skills are even more formidable than in the first Mummy, director Stephen Sommers’ brand of over-the-top humor allows Ardeth to reveal more humanity, maybe even to crack something resembling a smile, when he isn’t worrying about the end of the world. And Oded Fehr’s considerable charisma runs with the opportunity, more than matching Brendan Fraser as a mummy-buster.

It’s hard to imagine this imposing warrior in a business suit, yet that was Oded Fehr’s intended career path after a few years spent in the Israeli navy. Thankfully, Fehr enrolled in acting school while in London, then appeared in such British television shows as "The Killer Net" (1998). Fehr would make his impressive Hollywood debut in the first Mummy (1999), then do similar duties for the TV miniseries "Cleopatra" (1999) and "Arabian Nights" (2000). Fehr made terrific fun of his tough-guy image as a gigolo with a fish fetish in Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo (1999), and appears as an outlaw in the upcoming Texas Rangers.

Recently married to Finding Forrester producer Rhonda Tollefson, Fehr is promoting his role as Ardeth Bay as well as crusading against the very real enemy of cancer. As a member of Hooked On Hope, Fehr’s mission is to help stricken children and their families cope with the insidious disease. and that’s the work of a true hero.

Venice: Your character definitely has a lot more to do in this Mummy.

Oded Fehr: I think Stephen really fell in love with the character of Ardeth Bay during the first movie. He changed the ending to bring the character back, so he definitely wanted him in this one. I was very lucky that he gave Ardeth a lot more responsibility in The Mummy Returns.

How were you supposed to be killed off in the first movie?

Originally, my last scene was where I say "Save the girl! Kill the creature!" and then ran to fight the mummies. That was the last you saw of Ardeth. But while we were shooting in Morocco, Stephen added the scene where I suddenly came back at the end to thank the heroes for saving the day. People could have asked, "Well, how did he get away?" But audiences didn’t care. They all liked Ardeth Bay, so the scene worked.

Hollywood has an image of the dashing Arab that goes all the way back to Rudolph Valentino’s The Sheik (1921) and Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Baghdad (1924). How do you think Ardeth Bay fits into that lineage?

I think it’s because those kinds of characters are very powerful and mysterious. You don’t know where Ardeth lives or what he does. You just know that there’s something very strong and mystical about him. He’s got all of that history. I tried to make Ardeth Bay someone whom I’d consider a desert man. Sure he rides a horse and has a nice costume, but those things just add to the character. Ardeth was brought up to be a warrior. He’s the opposite of the evil that’s been created by all of these gods. Yet he’s not a god. He’s the good guy, and a man as well.

You’re an Israeli Jew. What’s it like to play an Arab?

I’m very proud to play any religion or nationality. I don’t have any problems with Arabs, yet I come from a country where there’s a lot of history and a lot of hatred, which, truthfully, breaks my heart. I think most artists in Israel are pushing towards peace. They’re more left wing than right, and want to work together with the Arabs. A lot of the material that’s done in Israel is obviously political in the sense that it’s asking "Why don’t we have peace?" Most of my family’s in Israel, and I worry for them. I just visited there a month ago, and the mood is somber. People don’t like the way things are, but no one can see a clear way out. You could say the people there are narrow-minded, but I think they just don’t know there’s any other way to live. Fighting is all they’ve known for generations. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m very proud to play an Arab. And I think it’s about time that there are heroic Arabs on screen, and not just terrorists.

Do you think you have fun with your he-man image in the Mummy films?

I think I’m very quirky as a person. I don’t think I’m "the strong guy." Look at Harrison Ford. Everyone loves him so much because he’s always a kind of accidental hero. You see his hands shaking. He’s always in pain, always struggling. You think he’s going to drop the gun or do something that’s not heroic, but he’s always strong and comes out the hero. So, as tough as you are, you’re still afraid that you’re going to be killed! You’re going to scream, and the fact that I got to have a little bit of humor in The Mummy Returns was nice.

What were the differences in shooting this film from the first Mummy?

As far as I’m concerned, you can’t compare the two. The first Mummy was practically my first film job. I was very nervous, and very unsure of what I was doing. So I don’t think I had as much to offer to the director. But on this one, I knew my part and was comfortable. I was back with these great actors, and they gave me the opportunity to create a lot more with Ardeth Bay. I also practiced more with my horseback riding, sword fighting, and learning precise Arabic. And I could go a lot deeper into my relationships with the characters because we already knew each other. The bond between Ardeth and the O’Connells is a lot stronger.

Do you think the non-stop action in The Mummy Returns almost makes it like a video game?

I think Stephen realized that people loved the action in the first movie, the kind that has a lot of humor, creatures and visual beauty. So he brought all of that back and put a lot more into it. His dream was to create the double-decker bus chase, which was very difficult to film. We worked on it for weeks, and I think the film is very much a ride like that. It’s quite exhausting, but I also think it’s very enjoyable.

Do you want to break out of the leading man action roles and do more character parts?

I feel very lucky that I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I can choose my parts. When you’re an actor at drama school, all you’re thinking is that you’ll be very lucky to pay the rent with your acting. Now I’ve gotten to a point where I want to move away from the ethnic characters. It’s not that I don’t want that side of it, but I think to have a good, long career, you’ve got to do as many different things as you can. That’s why I did Deuce Bigelow and Texas Rangers. I’ve also cut my hair, because I’m looking to do something where there’s no action in it. Something that’s smaller...a lot smaller. Maybe a romantic comedy.

You were hilarious in Deuce Bigelow.

The character that I played had very little screen time, but my involvement in the film was very strong. My character was the straight man, so I wasn’t going for the humor. But you still have to have the comic timing down for your dialogue. Rob Schneider and I became very good friends while we were shooting it. I think Rob is great, and I really love his humor. There are a lot of horrific comedies out there that I don’t enjoy. But Rob’s stuff is really good because he doesn’t take the humor too far. It’s very sweet and very quirky, and working with him was a great experience. Deuce may not have been a favorite with the critics, but people loved the movie.

Has any particular actor or character influenced you?

There are actors that I really enjoy watching, but I don’t have a specific character that I want to do. I just try to do good work. It doesn’t have to be an arty film. It just has to entertain. When I was at drama school, I had an old teacher by the name of Rudi Shelly, who taught people like Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Irons. He always said that the most important thing an actor had to remember was that his job is to entertain. He hated the actors who would stand on stage and go through this immense emotional thing that the audience wouldn’t understand. The point is that the audience is paying money to enjoy what they’re watching, and if you enjoy what you do, that’s great. But your first priority is to entertain the people, and I want to do movies that will move the audience in one way or the other.

Any concluding Mummy thoughts?

Go see it, man! It’s great. It’s huge. It’s fantastic, and I’m proud to be a part of the movie.

Fans of Ardeth Bay and Oded Fehr can get personally autographed photos and The Mummy Returns relics by visiting www.hookedonhope.com and helping children and their families in their struggles against cancer.