NARRATOR: Paul Bettany may have turned down Oscar-winning
and Golden Globe-nominated roles,
but he certainly deserves recognition
for going from an imaginary character
in an Oscar-winning drama to two different roles in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe.
And you know why?
Because it's boring. It's really boring.
[LAUGHS]
[BELL DINGING]
NARRATOR: Bettany was raised in London by a theater family
and worked on stage productions and in guest
roles on television before graduating to miniseries.
His career took off with 2000's Gangster No.
1, earning a British Newcomer of the Year nomination
at the London Critics Circle Film Awards.
Writer/Director Brian Helgeland then
wrote the part of Geoffrey Chaucer for Bettany
in A Knight's Tale.
Oh, and you can do better, can you?
Of course I can.
NARRATOR: Later in 2001, Bettany played John Nash's
imaginary roommate Charles in A Beautiful
Mind, which went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Bettany also met actress Jennifer Connelly on the set,
and the two eventually married.
With his star rising fast, Bettany turned down the role
of Francis Dolarhyde, AKA Tooth Fairy, in 2002's Red Dragon
to star in writer-director Lars von Trier's Dogville,
clearing the way for Ralph Fiennes to take the role.
Fiennes was also considered for Dr. Stephen Maturin in 2003's
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,
but Bettany won the part, reuniting with his A Beautiful
Mind co-star Russell Crowe.
I'd rather them three sheets to the wind on occasion
than have a mutiny on my hands.
You see, I'm rather understanding of mutinies.
NARRATOR: The following year, Bettany
made his romantic comedy debut in Wimbledon,
a role originally meant for Hugh Grant.
In the ensuing years, Bettany lost out
to Orlando Bloom for Balian in Kingdom of Heaven
and to Daniel Craig for Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass,
but beat out Christopher Eccleston and others
for Silas in The Da Vinci Code.
Do you mock me?
NARRATOR: Soon after, Bettany, Connelly, and Jude Law all
left Brideshead Revisited when director David
Yates departed to direct Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix.
Matthew Goode then took over for Bettany.
The King's Speech writer David Seidler wrote his 2010 movie
with Bettany in mind for King George VI,
but the actor had just been away from his family
for another role and decided to return home instead.
Colin Firth took the job instead and won the Academy Award for
Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Timing isn't my strong suit.
NARRATOR: Soon after, Bettany joined
the cast of Margin Call, which he has said
revived his love for acting and earned the Robert Altman
Award presented to the ensemble cast,
director, and casting director at the Film
Independent Spirit Awards.
Listen, if you really want to do this with your life,
you have to believe you're necessary, and you are.
NARRATOR: Bettany auditioned for Javert in Les Miserables,
but lost out to past collaborator Russell Crowe.
Instead, Bettany signed on for his first American series
as Dr. William Masters in Masters of Sex,
only to later pull out, clearing the way
for Michael Sheen, who earned a Golden
Globe nomination in 2014.
Around that time, Bettany was in a meeting
with a producer who told him his career was over.
He walked out and took a call from writer director Joss
Whedon, offering him the role of Vision in Avengers:
Age of Ultron.
Bettany had already been working with Marvel since 2008's Iron
Man as the voice of JARVIS.
JARVIS: 1974 Stark expo model scan complete, sir.
NARRATOR: In 2018, Bettany was in talks to play Prince Philip
in season 3 of The Crown, a role Matt Smith played
in prior seasons, but eventually withdrew himself
from consideration, with Tobias Menzies taking over instead,
eventually earning a Golden Globe nomination.
Meanwhile, Bettany stepped in for Michael Kenneth Williams
as Dryden Vos in 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story
after Ron Howard was brought in to direct and, quote, assess
the damage from the original directors,
according to Williams.
Howard believed Williams' scenes would have to be completely
re-shot and, alas, since he was already on another job,
that wasn't possible.
The following year, Bettany and Natalie Dormer
dropped out of Official Secrets and were replaced by Matt
Smith and Keira Knightley.
You took a-- a real risk.
NARRATOR: After playing the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski,
in season one of Manhunt in 2017,
Bettany heads back to the small screen
and to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the Disney+
series WandaVision.
The show also features Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff
and Kat Dennings' Darcy Lewis.
And while Bettany continues to be selective with his roles,
he's bound to collect some hardware eventually.
You set the terms.
You can change them.