I finally get to share my interview with Paul Bettany. I know I have shared some awesome content the last few weeks about my trip to Los Angeles for the #CaptainAmericaEvent like my interview with Captain America himself, Chris Evans. And my interview with Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. But the person I wanted to interview most was Paul Bettany. I can’t even describe my love for him. He is such a versatile actor and just has the most amazing voice. The voice that everyone remembers as J.A.R.V.I.S. I went through a whole list of questions in my head that I could ask him. I want to share some of the awesome questions we all got to ask him in our interview though and some amazing pictures of him. He looked absolutely amazing while we discussed his upcoming role as Vision in the Captain America: Civil War movie which will be released in theaters May 6th.
He started the interview off with his utterly suave self by laughing and saying, “Excellent, Very Good. What can I do for you all? You are probably all wondering why I brought you here.” His voice is just so amazing. We asked about the look of Vision which is pretty awesome. We were wondering how much of his costume was real and how much was CGI.
Paul Bettany – It’s mostly costume and makeup. And then there- there’s some sort of circuitry, I don’t know how to describe it. They’re lines — basically, the makeup starts from under my eyes, here. And goes all the way — they, you know, a bald cap that glues here. (as he pointed to his face) And then goes all the way under (his neck). And then there’s this pile that’s been glued onto my face. And there’s this much of my body out to- to the open (he gestures to his face and his hands). And what the CG does is continue the lines and circuitry into my eyes. No, there were no contacts. They stopped short of that. They think, oh, we’re punishing him enough than to put contacts on him. Poor bastard’s in spanx and a muscle suit. How about let’s give him some contact lenses?
We also asked how long it took for makeup continuing on the same thread of his costume.
Paul Bettany – Two and a quarter hours. And initially the makeup is about that — it was somewhere between and hour and a half and- and 2 hours when everybody’s rusty and they’re starting off again. You know, and then they quickly get it down to about an hour. Which is frankly amazing for the transformation that they, that they achieve. And then the costume is about 45 minutes. So, you really have to plan how you’re hydrating yourself because that’s a 45 minute reset when you — oh, I think I need to, oh..”
We mentioned how the Directors had told us how very hot it was filming in Georgia especially the big airport scene. They said there was a point that Paul shifted and sweat literally squirted out of his suit because it was like 110 degrees out there on burning asphalt.
Paul Bettany – Yeah, it was hot. You come out of your air-conditioned trailers in your costume and makeup, and everybody’s looking rather like super heroes and movie stars. And then in about nought point 5 minutes later in 105 degrees Atlanta weather, you look a lot less like a movie star. Initially, everybody looks so great, and then you just see people kind of like, ugh. Both me and Chadwick (who plays Black Panther) had this special suit that goes on underneath. Which pumps ice cold water through it. Yes is nice, isn’t it? If you can imagine — close your eyes and imagine being inside a gin and tonic. It feels exactly like that.
Well I have never had a gin and tonic but now I want to try it imagining him saying that. One of our awesome bloggers even asked him if anyone had ever asked for him to do their voicemail. He replied quite seriously and asked her if that was a request. Then he laughed and we all laughed too. I would love that. Especially if he did it as dry and sarcastic as J.A.R.V.I.S.
I think one of the cutest things he told us was that he had been worried that his daughter may be scared of him in costume. It was actually the opposite. She loved his costume and when he came home in his normal clothes she cried and said she wanted “purple daddy’ back. That is so adorable. I remember interviewing Executive Producer of Maleficent, Don Hahn, and he said they had to use Angelina Jolie’s daughter for the role of young Aurora because they were worried other children would be scared of Angelina in costume as Maleficent. So I think its really amazing that his daughter just took to it like it was nothing. Like a brand new purple daddy.
Paul Bettany – They love it, actually. My daughter met me as the Vision for the first time and I think she was just three. Or maybe just even about to turn three. And she just ran up to me and gave me a hug. She knew entirely who it was. And I had been very worried about what her response would be. And then at the end of the day when I took it all off she had her first ever meltdown. And she said, I want purple daddy! Which, as I’m sure you can all imagine, was a little depressing.
I did get to ask him my question. I settled on asking him about being a director for the first time. His movie, Shelter, stars his wife Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie, and was released in 2014. I found it on Amazon Video to watch but I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet. It looks so sad but so good at the same time because Jennifer and Anthony are super great actors. I was really looking forward to his answer because I know he must have enjoyed working with his wife again on a movie. I added on to my question wondering if it was different working on the other side of a movie as a director instead of an actor.
Paul Bettany – Yeah and I think more actors should do it. It really gives you a total, a much more of a respect for the directors that you work with. And I really enjoyed my own period of being an actor and just enjoying my responsibility. Because you’re obviously taking care of a much larger picture as the director. And your day is just filled with a thousand questions. 99% of which are what color do you want the red shoes to be? What? And what? Why not — what? And then 1% of them being absolutely are one of the triple questions that are gonna make you old. You also begin to know when they’re actually messing with you as well. It’s been amazing. And I loved doing it. And will do it again. I’ll do a comedy next time.
Well, whatever he does I will be there to watch it. Wimbledon is my all time favorite movie and I had the chance to tell him that when we posed for pictures together.
In Captain America: Civil War, Vision seems to be trying to find his identity. He wears normal clothes and attempts ‘normal’ things like cooking. He is not quite sure where he belongs in this world. Paul let us know about how Vision is progressing after being ‘born’ in Age of Ultron.
Paul Bettany – I think you find the Vision in this movie is on a sort of personal quest,” said Paul. “In the previous movie, you see him born. He is naive and yet omnipotent, and I think in this movie you find him trying to be more human. (Paraphrase) He is struggling with learning how his powers work and how loyalty works.
And there I am! Like I told you all in my Chris Evans interview, I wanted to be standing right next to him. He smells beautiful in case you were wondering. I am so fangirling over here just remembering getting to interview one of my all time favorite actors. He even made us all laugh loudly when someone asked about the rumors of him being James Bond. He said he cannot confirm or deny these allegations because then there would be more rumors but he added that he was flattered.
This trailer is not from Marvel but it is a featurette on Vision.
Actual Marvel trailer for the movie you actually have to see immediately on May 6th!
this is a really cool interview, lucky yuo!