Paul Bettany, fresh from the success of VisionQuest, has been cast in the upcoming supernatural drama Pagan – but how much do you know about the actor?
Paul Bettany has been on our screens recently playing the Marvel superhero Vision in VisionQuest, the final part of the trilogy of series focused on his character.
But, now that has finished, Paul has not had to wait long to land his next leading role. Deadline has confirmed that Paul will play Mag in Pagans, a supernatural drama from Joshua Zetumer – who created Say Nothing – that will be on Netflix.
Pagans tells the story of Gus – played by Steven Yeun – who becomes a single parent of two children after his wife dies. But while Gus’ son is an average child, his daughter is the opposite. While their relationship begins to be strained, it evolves into something darker. Mag, a charismatic stranger, comes into their lives too and complicates matters.
So Paul Bettany fans will not have long to wait to see him on screen again. But how much do you know about him? Here are some facts you might not know.
Paul has a link to the British royal family
While Paul is not directly related to any of the British royal family, his family does have a strong link. Paul’s father, Thane, an actor and drama teacher, is a godfather to Sophie, Dutchess of Edinburgh – the wife of Prince Edward, King Charles III’s youngest brother.
He did various jobs before becoming an actor
Paul came to acting relatively late – he only enrolled in drama school at the age of 19. However, he quickly started to gain roles on the stage and on TV – aged 21 he played Bill Sikes in a BBC production of Oliver Twist.
But before deciding to become an actor, Paul did a few jobs. He dropped out of school aged 16 and moved to London, where he earned money as a busker, playing his guitar in the streets.
After doing that for two years, he got a job working at a care home for the elderly. He stuck at that job for a year before heading off to drama school.
He married his teenage crush
Paul has been married to fellow actor Jennifer Connelly since 2003, having first met on the set of the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind.
But Paul was well aware of Jennifer before they ever met. In 1986, he saw the movie Labyrinth, which starred a teenage Jennifer, and he has admitted to having a crush on her at that time.
Their relationship started unconventionally too – Paul proposed to her before they were even in a relationship. However, Jennifer obviously liked what she saw and they married within a couple of years.
His son is named after a fellow actor
One of Paul and Jennifer’s children is a boy called Stellan. He is named after actor Stellan Skarsgard, who Paul has acted with on several occasions, including in Dogville (2003) and more famously Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
He is one of the longest-serving actors in the MCU
Paul has become synonymous with the MCU over the years. Since 2015, he has been seen on-screen in various movies, as well as TV shows, as Vision, the android that has the core software of JARVIS, Tony Stark’s AI contained inside.
But before that, Paul voiced JARVIS’ clipped English tones in the three Iron Man movies from 2008-13. With Paul set to reprise his role as Vision in Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, it will make him one of the longest-serving actors in the franchise.
Paul is a football fan
Paul grew up in England and, like many boys in the country, developed a love of football while growing up. His team is Arsenal, the current English Premier League champions.
