TV's 'Frasier' is blue mutant in 'X-Men'

NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) -- Kelsey Grammer says playing a brawny blue mutant in the new "X-Men" movie was a welcome change from the snooty psychiatrist he portrayed on TV's "Frasier."

In "X-Men: The Last Stand," Grammer plays Beast, a scientist and government ambassador to the mutant community.

But the actor is best known as Dr. Frasier Crane, the character he played for nearly 20 years on the sit-coms "Cheers" and "Frasier."

"It's always exciting to do a different character," the 51-year-old actor, who did about half of his own stunts in the film, told UPI.

"Actors, we get into it because we want to play different, memorable characters. The day you get a TV job, it's a blessing and a curse because you think, 'Ahhh, I'm finally going to make a living as an actor,' and then you think, 'Will I ever act again?' Because eventually it becomes such a fit -- that one big, successful character."

Grammer said he didn't bond with Rebecca Romijn, the other star of the film who had to undergo hours of meticulous blue makeup application.

"We never had a chance to work together," he said. "She told me when I got the job, 'Oh, it's hell and then it's fun, you'll see.'"