I was invited by Disney on an all expenses paid trip to cover the #CaptainAmericaEvent. All opinions are my own.
Are you getting excited?! CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR opens in theaters everywhere this FRIDAY, May 6th! It is such a good movie!
I am totally on #TeamIronMan so I was very excited to interview Paul Bettany (who plays “Vision”). Vision, of course, is on #TeamIronMan. And let me tell you, meeting Paul Bettany in person, he is one funny guy! He had us all laughing so hard. It was also so cool to listen to him as he answered questions. I just kept thinking “Jarvis, is talking to us!”, it was a very cool experience.
The directors were telling us a little bit of how hot it was filming the airport scene. Can you tell us about the makeup process and the struggles with that?
Paul: Yeah, it was hot. You all come out of your air-conditioned trailers in your costume and makeup and everybody’s looking rather like super heroes and movie stars. And then in about point 5 minutes later in 105° Atlanta weather, you look a lot less like a movie star. Both me and Chadwick have this special suit that goes on underneath. Which pumps ice cold water through it. If you can imagine — close your eyes and imagine being inside a gin and tonic. It feels exactly like that.
SMALL SPOILER
Towards the end there, you got a little distracted, and I’ve got a feeling that that may have been Wanda. Can you talk a little bit about you and Wanda?
I think you find vision, in this movie, on a sort of personal quest. In the previous movie you see him born. Which I don’t expect ever to do on camera again in my career. And he is naïve and yet omnipotent in sort of struggling with learning about the world. And I think in this movie you find him trying to be more human. We found ways to realize that visually with him wearing human clothes. Albeit from the 1950’s. But human clothes. The reason I think he’s doing that, he’s kind of interested in working out how loyalty works. And I think that loyalty probably works through love. Logic doesn’t really afford for loyalty because if new information comes to light, he might well flip and be on Captain America’s side, right? But love is the water that makes soil hold roots, right? So I think in order to protect humanity, he needs to understand what love is. And he and Wanda both share certain similarities. Which is, they don’t know the extent of their powers. And that’s terrifying.
You’ve all got kids, right? When children grow to understand where the walls are. They need boundaries and it’s frightening. And you see it in every playground that you’re in with your own kids when a parent hasn’t given their child boundaries. How mad children are when they think they own the whole world. Do you know what I mean? That they are absolutely at the center of it. And so I think that they’re both struggling with that, and it’s kind of terrifying them. And the vision working out what love is, is gonna be very important moving forward in terms of humanity. And I think you use that step to, with him being distracted and acting in a very non-logical way, and with aggression. And he calls this a massive hurt. He makes a mistake. And that’s interesting. Because that’s the very double-edged sword of being human.
END SPOILER
How do you personally relate to Vision?
I have to relate to him as a human being, because I am. And I’ve never met a synthetic person. Although, in Los Angeles, I question whether I have or not. But, um, um, you know, it’s funny. I sort of think much in the way that I was just sort of describing, like imagining a child. But, just a naturally, clever child who can do anything, almost. And is forced into a situation of having to grow up very quickly. Hasn’t happened to me yet, personally. But, yeah, that’s how I do.
So, you’re a director now yourself. Is it different being on the other end?
Yeah, and I think more actors should do it. It really gives you much more of a respect for the directors that you work with. And I really enjoyed my own period of being an actor and just enjoying my responsibility and because you’re obviously taking care of a much larger picture as as the director. And you’re day is just filled with a thousand questions. 99% of which are what color do you want the red shoes to be? But, It’s been amazing. And I loved doing it. And will do it again. I’ll do a comedy next time.
Being the voice of Jarvis, and now Tony Stark has a new voice in his head, do you feel betrayed that it’s a woman?
That’s a loaded question. I don’t feel betrayed that it’s a woman at all. I definitely feel melancholic at times. Like, ‘oh, where’s my Jarvis?’
I read that you hadn’t watched the Iron Man movies in the beginning. Have you watched them now?
Oh, yeah. You know, when you enter an interview with a journalist where they ask you, have you seen the movies? And you say, oh, no, I haven’t seen the movies. And then you go on to say, but then I don’t really see 80% of the movies that I’m in. But they don’t use that bit because it’s a much more eye catching headline ‘Bettany doesn’t watch the Iron Man movies’. I did my homework and I watched them all. And I really loved them.
I think that the stories are becoming more and more rich and complex and I think you see that in this movie. Both in terms of the interpersonal relationships between all of the super heroes. Often these sorts of movies are just plain escapism. Actually this movie talks about some of the things that we sometimes want to escape from. Like unilateral intervention from a super power is really what on one level this film talks about. And the need for a strong regulatory body. That’s pretty topical stuff. Which is amazing for a movie that’s this broad and this much of a popular, a popcorn movie and this much of a popular franchise, I think to touch on those sort of subjects is kind of great.
How do your kids feel about having a superhero in the house now?
They love it, actually. My daughter met me as the Vision for the first time and I think she was just three. Or maybe just even about to turn three. And she just ran up to me and gave me a hug. She knew entirely who it was. I had been very worried about what her response would be. And then at the end of the day when I took it all off she had her first ever meltdown. And she went, ‘I want purple daddy!’ Which, as I’m sure you can all imagine, was a little depressing.
Going off that, how much of it was costume and make up? And how much of it was CGI effects?
It’s mostly costume and makeup. And then there’s some sort of circuitry, I don’t know how to describe it. They’re lines basically. What the CG does is continue the lines and circuitry into my eyes.
So, you didn’t wear contacts?
No, there were no contacts. They stopped short of that. They think, ‘oh, we’re punishing him enough than to put contacts on him. Poor guy’s in spanks and a muscle suit. How about let’s give him some contact lenses?’
What was it like being his voice for all those movies and then finally becoming a character?
Well, I just love it. I mean, it’s a double-edged sword, of course, because I used to show up for 45 minutes, talk a bit and they’d give me a big bag of cash. Now I gotta go to Atlanta and wear spanks. [He said jokingly] But no, It’s been so much fun. I loved doing it and I look forward to it when the date is set for the next one. It’s lovely. You meet a bunch of people that you know and it’s like coming back to a family. It’s lovely.
How many hours did it take for you for full costume and full make up?
Two and a quarter hours. And initially the makeup was somewhere between and hour and a half and 2 hours when everybody’s rusty and they’re starting off again. Then they quickly get it down to about an hour. Which is frankly amazing for the transformation that they achieve. And then the costume is about 45 minutes. So, you really have to plan how you’re hydrating yourself because that’s a 45 minute reset…
Afterwards, we got a group pic with Paul. It is an interview that I will never forget, so much fun, and unforgettable memories made!
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR opens in theaters everywhere this FRIDAY, May 6th!
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“Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability. Get ready to pick a side and join the nonstop action playing out on two fronts when Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” opens in U.S. theaters on May 6, 2016.“-Marvel
