A few years back, I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Bettany about his role as Vision in Captain America: Civil War. It was clear from our interview that day that he was a total gentleman, but also incredibly funny, so I was really excited when I found out that I’d be interviewing him about his role as Dryden Vos in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Now that I’m used to watching him play a superhero, I thought it would be jarring to see him as a villain. However, he stepped right into that role and owned it so well it gave me goosebumps. Below, read what he had to say about how he came on board the film, what it’s like to be in two big movies at once, and more!
On how he keeps from fighting with his wife {Actress Jennifer Connelly}:
I have a picture of my wife when she was four on my phone so that when she’s really annoying I look at it go, whew. When she’s shouting at me.
How often do you look at that?
Well, I just looked at it, so.. Poor thing, we’re in the process of moving right now and I’ve just been doing back-to-back press tours [for Avengers: Infinity War as well as Solo: A Star Wars Story] so she’s super happy at me. She’s so glad that I’m in Los Angeles and not actually packing up tea chests, as you can imagine.
On the moment when it sunk in that he was in a Star Wars movie:
There were many moments where I went, “Oh, my gosh, I’m in a Star Wars movie.” And I think because Ron [Director Ron Howard] and I were newcomers on the block as it were, everyone else had been in there for eight months or whatever, and we were still totally un-jaded by it. I kept elbowing him and saying, “We’re making a Star Wars movie! We’re making a Star Wars movie!”
And my first day in fact, I was on my starship. I have a starship and I was coming down the spiral staircase in a super chic asymmetric cloak, and an R2 unit went by me with champagne flutes on and I went, “I’m in Star Wars.” That was amazing.
On how he became involved with the movie:
This is a hugely embarrassing story which I shouldn’t tell you but I’ve got to tell you anyway. I heard that my old mate, Ron, [Director Ron Howard] was doing it. In 1977 I saw Star Wars, so I was six years old and it took me out of the gray, miserable 1970’s London. London was really depressed in the ‘70s, by the way. So to be taken away to that universe was amazing.
So now I’m in the Avengers so I think there’s no way I’m ever going to be asked to be in Star Wars- unless Ron Howard becomes the director. And that happened. So, I texted him and I literally texted him this, I said, “Hey, Ron, have you ever spent long winter evenings, like I have, wondering why you’re not in the Star Wars franchise?” And that’s a true story. And he said “LOL, give me a moment.” And two weeks later I was flying to London to shoot it.
{Read Director Ron Howard’s side of the story in this interview!}
On his character:
I really wanted to do something very different. And I felt like I could because the offshoot films, they’re not encumbered with the same set of responsibilities that the main franchise are encumbered with, there is the possibility to have a more playful tone. I really wanted to sort of be quite loose with it. He is an entrepreneur. He knows who he is and is super happy about it. Like, no problems with being bad. He’s really, really gifted at hurting people. Some people are gifted at playing the piano or whatever and he’s really gifted at torture and murder. And he’s like, really okay with it.
That’s really fun to play because you’re just able to sort of close down all the conscious stuff and just be great at torture and murder.
On if it’s difficult going from shooting Avengers: Infinity War, where he plays a superhero, to this movie, where he’s a villain:
No, I know Vision very well. And there were two times that I flew from Atlanta- by the way, I should also say that Kathleen Kennedy [President of Lucasfilm] made it okay for me to cross pollinate, and so, did Kevin Feige [President of Marvel Studios] who is a huge fan who I have been emailing with recently, too, talking about the massive success of the film. And he’s like, “Forget about that, what about your new trailer it’s amazing!” He’s such a huge Star Wars fan.
But there were times when literally, the makeup crew on Star Wars were finding bits of purple still on me from playing Vision. Can I tell you, the amount of work it takes to get that stuff off…
On being in two of the biggest movies this summer- even though they’re in two different cinematic universes:
It feels pretty great. It’s very nice going around the world selling something that people want to buy.
On the best parts of working with Director Ron Howard again on this movie:
One is watching an old friend, somebody who I really love. Ron is as close to family as you get in this business. He’s put his hand out and helped me out so many times I can’t tell you. And seeing him be so accomplished and so welcomed in what could potentially have been a very tricky situation for him, and his ability with staging- he’s just a fine, fine director.
And also, amazingly inclusive and genuinely interested in everybody’s opinions about how things should be. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have his own vision. He’s just so confident that he is able to be really open and collaborative. I think that’s a sign of a really strong leader is when they’re listening. So, that was beautiful.
About the movie:
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters May 25th! Get your tickets now! You can also follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or by using the hashtag #HanSolo.
Be sure to check out my other Solo: A Star Wars Story coverage, including an interview with the new Han, Alden Ehrenreich, new character Qi’ra {Emilia Clarke}, and Director Ron Howard; my no-spoilers review, and my experience from the world premiere!
