“I made this thing that I will, for the rest of my days, be very proud to have been a part of,” claims Paul Bettany. Indeed the actor has plenty to be proud of as of late, with two projects garnering him rave reviews. He first starred in the Amazon film “Uncle Frank,” before jumping back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the limited series “WandaVision” on Disney+. Both roles connected with the actor in meaningful ways. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
While getting ready to film “Uncle Frank,” writer/director Alan Ball told Bettany that “this movie is for anybody who has ever struggled to live their life authentically.” The sentiment immediately grabbed the actor and he latched on to that “beautiful, simple message.”
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His character Frank lives openly as a gay man in New York City during the 1970s, but fears coming out to his Southern family on a trip home for a funeral. “He’s created these two worlds where he has to keep them separate,” explains Bettany. The performer describes Frank as a quiet person “very much in control of himself.” But as he journeys to his hometown and deals with the emotions surrounding his father’s death, “he loses control of his narrative,” according to Bettany. Though this loss of control leads to an eruption of anger with his partner and family, Frank ultimately finds resolution.
As for “WandaVision,” the series which had fans feverishly theorizing over the smallest of details, Bettany gushes that “it was such an explosion of creativity. I loved every minute of it.” With each episode dedicated to exploring a different era of sitcoms, often filmed before a live audience, the actor appreciates how many new experiences he was able to have during filming. Since the original release date had the experimental show premiering after fellow Marvel streamer “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” Bettany was able to let loose without the pressure of going first. “We always expected to be the kooky cousin” of Marvel, he jokes.
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As wild as “WandaVision” could be, one of Bettany’s most memorable scenes is a deeply heartfelt one. During a flashback sequence, his Vision comforts Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) after the loss of her brother. The android finds the perfect words to sum up human suffering: “But what is grief, if not love persevering.” The actor reveals that it took plenty of time tinkering and reworking the scene with writer Jac Schaeffer to get the line just right. “What’s great is that it’s coming from an ingenue robot,” explains Bettany, “so it’s not going to feel preachy.” When Schaeffer’s assistant finally came up with the word “persevering,” the moment clicked into place. “The whole show was like that one moment,” says Bettany excitedly, “no ego, collaboration and joy!.”
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