Paul Bettany: A Good Bettany

British thesp first charmed the pants off of America by strolling into A Knight's Tale without wearing any. His role as Geoffrey Chaucer, Heath Ledger's glorified medieval publicist (first spotted dirt poor and sans clothing by Ledger's character), was a rollicking gem to those who caught the modest hit--and a stark contrast to the roles in films like the brutal Gangster No. 1 that had garnered him critical acclaim back home.

__________________________________________

After playing Russell Crowe's imaginary comrade in Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind (where he met his recent bride, Jennifer Connelly), the 32-year-old actor reteams with Crowe for this month's seafaring Peter Weir drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, playing the surgeon on a ship captained by Crowe. Then, as if out to prove he's hit leading-man status, it's on to Nicole Kidman in Lars Von Trier's controversial Dogville and Kirsten Dunst in Wimbledon.

Lonny Pugh: I've gone through many stories about you over the last few days preparing for this interview--

Paul Bettany: I'm so sorry.

Q: So I don't plan on asking you any more questions about your bare butt. You must be sick of talking about it.

A: Good man. Yeah, I've done that.

Q: How was it with Russell Crowe on Master and Commander after having worked with him on A Beautiful Mind?

A: Acting is a lot like sex, in the sense that it's very fun to do, but the moment you start talking about it, it's all rather embarrassing. However, I would say that being relaxed is the most important thing. And if you happen to know somebody and get on with them, and you're not worried that they're going to try to fuck you over, it's easier. The thing that we were worried about was not bringing to the screen the same relationship that we had in A Beautiful Mind. I think we managed it.

Q: Were you intimidated by director Peter Weir?

A: Yes, but his heart comes through in his films so clearly, so it's not like you're scared that he's going to be cruel; you can tell from his work that he is a kind man. And he has an amazing facility for detail. There was a scene when there was this huge battle going on. These ships are firing at each other, there are men with ghastly wounds dying all around, waiting to be operated on. And I'm trying to stem the flow of blood on this man, and there's loads of people waiting. And I was looking at Peter, and he was sort of frustrated--something was wrong. And then he stopped, and it was like the moment in Aliens where they realize that there was something up there...And he got this bucket of blood and started putting handprints on the ceiling, because the ceilings are here [motioning low, just above his head], and then he was happy.

Q: Dogville will be released next year, and Lars Von Trier is a notoriously difficult director. Did that have anything to do with the bond you've often said you formed with Nicole Kidman?

A: We both really needed an ally, you know? It was a tough situation for us both. Stellan Skarsgard, a great friend of mine who is in the film as well, told me, "You'll have an incredible time, and you'll giggle the whole way through it." Two days into it, he goes, "No, I was lying. I just couldn't bear to do the job without you."

Q: What were your living conditions like while filming in Trollhättan, Sweden?

A: Lars insisted that my hotel room be next to his. I worked out that my head, when I slept, was no more than 15 feet away from his, through a wall, and, you know, he's in your head all day long. And I couldn't drag the bed, because it was bolted to the ground. I tried.

Q: Kirsten Dunst, your Wimbledon costar, is 21. Where were you at that age?

A: Waking up drunk in gardens, naked.

Pages: 1 2