Paul Bettany: A Good Bettany

Q: It's a tennis comedy. How much physical preparation have you done?

A: I've played tennis five times a week for five months. I was feeling quite good about myself and thought, bloody Christ, I've put five months' work into this! But then I got to a tournament in Monte Carlo and had to play. Suddenly you look at these people, and they've been doing it since they were four, and they move beautifully. I realized that I'd sort of said, "Yes, I'd love to play Nureyev--how long do I have to learn ballet?"

Q: You've previously been very open about your complete refusal to exercise. How difficult was this fitness regime?

A: I've become a complete fucking bore. My wife is banning tennis videos in the house. If she goes out, I turn on Andre Agassi as if it's pornography, and then she comes in and I switch off the video machine. And lifting heavy things at the gym is quite boring. Outside my gym, there is a picture of this terribly well-honed man, and it says, "Think less. Feel better." I don't think there's any other activity in life where you are guaranteed not to have an enlightening experience. You could be washing up dishes, and a thought can occur to you. You're lifting weights and all you're thinking is "Oww. Oww."

Q: Has public life changed since your marriage?

A: Well, Los Angeles is a circus, but the farther away you get, the easier it is. And when I'm out without Jennifer, nobody gives a shit. I asked a famous friend for some advice, and he said, "Oh, it's really simple: If you don't mind having your photograph taken, you can go out. If you really don't want to, stay in." I was like, "That's it?"

Q: By the time this is printed, Jennifer will have given birth to your first child together. Are you petrified?

A: I don't know if you can, deep down, be really prepared. But I've wanted children for a long time, and I am not panicking in any way.

Q: How close are you with Jennifer's son Kai?

A: We're good. I mean, he's got a dad, and they're very close. I'm not his dad; I'm more his idiotic mate who plays with him.

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