Six years after making his film debut in Men Don't Leave, men don't leave Chris O'Donnell alone. Women can be pesky too. In fact, the poor guy can't even have a normal car accident anymore.A few months ago, the actor was in his native Chicago, driving around in his 1987 Honda Accord when in the middle of a busy intersection, whammo!"Some guy blew through a red light and sailed right into my car," recalls O'Donnell, 26. "I'm standing there stunned, looking at the wreckage. The other guy nearly got killed. Meanwhile, a crowd is beginning to gather. People are stopping to ask me for my autograph."It gets worse. "Finally, the cops arrive. And as the policeman is writing up the accident report, he said he wants autographs for all of his kids. That's when I realized that my life had taken on a whole new level of amazement."Blame Batman Returns. Ever since he suited up as Robin, O'Donnell's profile in Hollywood has risen dramatically. Suddenly, he's a major player with a handful of projects in the offing. First up is The Chamber, now in theaters. In the movie, O'Donnell plays a recent law-school grad trying to win clemency for his death-row-imprisoned grandfather, Sam Cayhall (Gene Hackman).O'Donnell also stars in December's In Love and War, which is based on the letters and diaries of a nurse (Sandra Bullock) who inspired Ernest Hemingway to write A Farewell to Arms. And, last but not least, there's Batman and Robin, which is expected to be one of 1997's biggest hits."I'm so psyched about everything," beams the actor, sounding more like a college kid than a A-list movie star.After the success of Batman Forever, O'Donnell had his pick of action projects. But he says, "I really wanted to do something that challenged me as an actor. I wanted to do a more emotional film."James Foley's The Chamber fit the bill. "It was just so draining. I'd be standing there looking at Gene Hackman on death row, thinking, 'Oh, God, do I have to do that scene again.'"Hackman's Cayhall is a former Ku Klu Klan member who might or might not be responsible for the bombing murders of two small Jewish children. In his quest to keep his grandfather out of the electric chair, O'Donnell's young attorney finds meaning in his own life and even manages to orchestrate a reconciliation between Sam and his estranged daughter, Lee (Faye Dunaway).The Chamber, which is the fifth John Grisham best-seller to hit the big screen, marks the first time that O'Donnell has been asked to carry a movie. "It was what I was looking for in terms of my career," he says of the role, which netted him a $4-million-paycheck. "But this one was hard work."Visiting the real death row in Parchman, Mississippi was no laugh riot either."I actually walked down death row with all of these guys in their cells looking at me. It was creepy as hell," he says. "The whole time I was thinking about Silence of the Lambs. Are they gonna get me or what? The guards told me later that the prisoners had no idea who I was, which was good."The prisoners at Parchman might be the only folks in America who don't recognize O'Donnell."Ever since Batman, I get noticed all over the place," says the actor. "I go to bars and people come up to me and call me Robin. Then I hear, 'Hey, Robin, where's Batman.' I say, 'I don't know, sir. I guess he's back in the Batcave. Now, get away from me.'"Don't worry, O'Donnell is no meanie. Only drunken bar-hoppers get the brush-off. The actor Premiere magazine dubbed "The Last Boy Scout" still dates his college girlfriend, a kindergarten teacher named Caroline. He busses his best buddies from Chicago to Notre Dame games every fall. And he baby-sits for his nieces and nephews all of the time."I'm Uncle Robin in my family, the cool uncle," says O'Donnell, the youngest of seven children born to an affluent family in Winnetka, Illinois. "The kids love when Uncle Robin comes back in town with a box of freebies from the Warner Bros. lot."Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher says O'Donnell's nice guy act is no put-on. "To be honest, both George Clooney and Chris are the nicest guys. They both have senses of humor. Some people are a case of, 'What you see is what you get.'"Adds Dunaway, "He's the nicest boy. He was always wanting to play checkers on the set." Director James Foley insists O'Donnell has "an edge," but Chamber co-star Lela Rochon never saw it. "Chris is the Midwest; he's Chicago. He drinks soda. He's a clean-cut, fun guy, which is refreshing."At the moment, O'Donnell is renting a home in Los Angeles while he shoots Batman and Robin. After it wraps, he'll move back to Chicago where he just bought himself a townhouse.So, what's a typical day like for the Boy Wonder?"Well, I'm usually stuck in my house doing a 1,000 things. It's a big chore owning your own home. No one makes your bed for you. Or takes out the garbage or does the dishes."I spend a lot of time surfing the Net. I log on and check out the message board to see if there's anything about me. One night, people were debating whether or not my girlfriend was good-looking. I thought that was hilarious. And there are lots of debates about Batman and Robin."Speaking of Batman and Robin, the fourth installment of the Gotham City saga began shooting earlier this month with George Clooney replacing Val Kilmer as the man in black rubber."George is great," relates O'Donnell. "He's a real nice guy but it was a bummer that Val didn't come back because I thought Val was a great Batman."But if he's not into it and he doesn't want to come back then George is the perfect guy. Actually, I have more things in common with George on a personal level. We're both really into sports like basketball and golf."The plot of Batman and Robin is being kept under wraps but O'Donnell will reveal that Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) join forces against the Caped Crusaders. Also on hand this time out, Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl.Will Robin have a big romance with Batgirl?"I can't tell you all of the secret storylines," says O'Donnell. "They'd give me lock jaw. But think about it: It's such an easy answer."As for his new costume, O'Donnell has a few words to say about the continuing codpiece controversy: "I think my codpiece is a little smaller this time around. I had to do a little comparison the other day and I think George might have gotten to know the people in the costume shop a bit better than I did this year. He might have slipped them a little cash. I don't know. Maybe they're just ER fans."