Happy Sad Confused - Paul Bettany

Episode Date: November 16, 2015

Wonderful English actor (and now director) Paul Bettany joins Josh this week to talk about his directorial debut and passion project Shelter which is based on a real homeless couple, playing J.A.R.V.I.S. in many of the Marvel films as well as becoming The Vision, connecting with his friend Johnny Depp over scarves, and his experience working with Peter O'Toole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's over. So go to lookcrate.com slash happy and enter the code happy to save $3 on your new subscription today. Hey guys, welcome to another edition of Happy Sad, Sad, Confused. I'm Josh Horowitz. Welcome back to my... podcast. I'm presuming welcome back because you must be a devoted listener by now, right? Because you are a smart, well-adjusted human being of good taste. I hear Sammy snickering already. There's

Sammy. There's Joel. There's Jenna hiding in the corner. Welcome, guys. The gang's all back. We're back. Well, you're back. You were gone last week. Oh, thank God I'm back. Am I right, listeners? You know they can't actually respond in real time. Well, everybody's not. Well, because last week, if you heard the intro, it was just two cavemen opening mail. Is that how it sounded? Like, oh, what's this? Oh, movie, oh. It was just like grunting and then giggles. It didn't go wrong.

Which I thought it was very funny. Well, that's good to hear. We just actually opened the mail just now, and I found out I stole a giant case of Red Bull by accident. That's weird. Grunting and giggles was our vaudeville act. Which one's which? Well, that's for the listener to guess. I think I'm giggles.

Yeah. You're a thousand. Joel Joel's not giggles No, he's certainly not giggles. Let's hear you giggle. Hey. Okay.

This week's guest on the podcast, if you're still with us, and I highly doubt that. It's Paul Bettney. Paul Bettney, wonderful actor, and now director, writer director,

I should say. He has just written and directed his first film. It's called Shelter. A really powerful story starring his wife, Jennifer Connelly, and Anthony Mackey,

no relation as far as I know to Paul, except that they were co-stars in the Avengers films. And this is a story that is very close to Paul's heart, as you'll hear about a homeless couple, their struggles, they go through a lot in this one, suffice it to say. Jennifer Connolly is put through the ring, or as is Anthony Mackey. But it's some great performances, and good to see Paul helming this real passion project. He's really, you know, this is a hard film to mount for anybody. even somebody of note like Paul, but he called in a lot of favors, obviously cast people he knew literally or lived with, and has helmed a really fine debut film. So check out Shelter. It is out in theaters. It is also available on VOD. And this conversation is really good. Paul is both

very thoughtful, but also very witty and funny. We talk about a lot of his career, including, yes, the Marvel films and his unusual trajectory. You know, if you know anything about the Marvel films, he started out just as a voice for many films in the Iron Man films. Jarvis. Jarvis, thank you, our Marvel expert, Joel, piping in. And, no, I mean, I remember even talking to him, like, back in the day about the Marvel films,

and he notably went on record to say he had never seen any of them until he was cast as Vision, which is an odd thing. I remember watching the Last Avengers movie and being like, how does Paul get to be Jarvis and the Vision? God, you were such a... Spoiler. So, yeah, we're really throwing to have Paul in here, and he is a very talented actor, and I'm sure he's going to be directing and writing again very, very soon.

He's very funny, too. Super funny, super tall. He's a, he's a tall drink of water. He's very striking. Like, you walked through the office, and all the ladies were a little weak at the knees. Yeah, a little Veclint, a little something? No, the clempt is sad. Oh, I was Veclent.

Because he was getting all the attention, and I was just, everyone looked right through me. Yeah, normally when you walk through the office, everybody turns their head. No, they can get any work done. Jenna, you're a personal acquaintance of Paul. Janet, come on. You got to come in here. What should we know about the Paul Bettany that you know? Oh, I don't know.

Paul is incredible. I don't know. He's a good dude. He's a great dancer. He's a great dancer? Okay, so now we know for a future after hours episode. I should say, and I usually don't. like to talk about after hours things before we tape them but uh i'll jinx it uh as we tape this we're

shooting an after hours with paul and anthony macky uh tomorrow that i think is going to turn out really great um but two two after hours that are actually have been completed uh one that is up by the time you uh you were listening to this is a really fun thing we did with tofer grace tofer was one of the very first um actors to uh do an after hours with us was in fact a very sweet in that he was a fan early on of the stuff that we were were doing and got really involved in the sketch we did way back when, which was called the Tofer Affair, a personal favorite of mine, Joel. That's one of my favorites.

It really is good. Sway is in it, Amazing cameo by Sway. Amazing cameo. But anyway, more recently, if you haven't checked out this new Tofer a bit, it's all about Star Wars, and it's really funny. And he was, again, more than a trooper, contributed a lot of great ideas. And it's a really funny performance by Tofer, and I'm very proud of that one. And I should say next week

Here we go Here's the big one We shot this just yesterday As we taped this And we're just editing it CJ's editing it Our amazing consummate editor of After Hours As we speak

And this is a bit with Two veterans of After Hours Daniel Radcliffe Returning, yet again Returning Champion Daniel Radcliffe I think he's just striving to do more After Hours

than Mark Wahlberg at this point It's neck and neck Every year they go back and forth And James McAvoy Who's done a few things with us too really fun shoot that God, Maccaboy's a madman He's a crazy man

In the best possible way What's Maccaboy's hair situation at the moment? Very, very little of it He's still in front of buzzed heads No, they kind of looked Buzzed each other's heads I didn't ask but I would assume so In my fanfic they did

Joel's like can I watch you guys Buzz each other's head? No, I just write about it, creepy That should have been the sketch In retrospect Just ten minutes of them shaving each other's head. I guarantee that we get more clicks than anything we could have come up with.

Doll's bald man Tumblr on page. No, it's very specific. It's not bald. It's buzz. Yeah, they're not bald. Calm down. Not bald that buzz.com. Which is a, make sure you type in that row correctly because go down the rabbit hole, a wrong path. Otherwise, this week,

you can't miss the Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2. That is coming out. If you're listening to this on Monday, wish me luck, because tonight we're doing a lot. stream. Both Joel and Sammy are involved, very much so in this one. We're out in Los Angeles taping on the red carpet live for two hours with the cast of Mockingjay Part 2. Do you think, oh my God, do you think Liam's going to confront Joel? Because I don't know, this is a throwback to maybe like four Happyside Confuseds ago. Okay. H.S.C.s ago. Yeah. Joel very

famously called out that Liam Hensworth is his least favorite. Hemsworth? His least favorite Hemsworth and his least favorite of the trifecta. All right. There's been a lot of talk on the web about this, so your hate on Liam Hemsworth. So I would... My hate tweets?

It's like me and Donald Trump. I would say it's very likely that Liam's going to probably call you out live on the carpet. He's going to punch you in the face. Monday morning, Liam wakes up, gets his cup of coffee, puts on happy second piece, listens to this.

And then I'm going to say right now to quell and quash anything that happens. Go for it. This is your opportunity, please. Liam. you're the worst. No, no, no, no. Three, he's the worst.

I'm going to be honest. Oh, my God. Everyone loves, okay, hands down, Jennifer Lawrence is number one. Hutch is good. He's charismatic, you think? Oh, wow, now you're, like, digging a hole, even saying, Hutch is only just good. No, Hutch is a sweetheart.

He's good. It's good about it. I mean, it's a thumbs up. I will say, I get a lot of crap sometimes from the group interviews I've done with them, people accusing me of omitting or not giving enough time to Liam. And that is not me, guys. I try to involve them all. Liam just happens to be a little bit more self-spoken

the others. Jennifer, invariably, is a big personality, takes over. I don't think that's a negative thing. It's just her personality. Guys, equal time for all of them. I'm doing my best. He's, he's an introvert. You know, he's thinking, he's more thoughtful. He's just retrospective. I can't believe how much you guys hate Liam.

That's not true. Well, tune into, if you're listening on Monday, watch tonight on our live stream, we're going to watch the live stream. I love you. Sammy Heller loves you, Liam. What are you pandering to Liam? Yeah, I agree with it. Joel, where can

they find the live stream? I don't even know. YouTube.com slash MTV News. Seriously? Yeah. Okay. That's the safest bet. Hopefully it's other places. Okay. Hopefully you won't be able to miss it. We're kind of the unofficial, kind of official, big partner of Winesgate on this one. So it should be fun. A lot of fun interviews.

Is the first time you're seeing the movie? No, I've seen it. I'm going to see it again that night. Do you see it? Wait. Wink, if there were lizard people. I will say the sewer sequence in it is awesome. It's the best action. sequence in the entire series. Really well done.

And Francis Lawrence, no surprise. He's a really accomplished director and knows, like, I'm Legend had some really suspenseful scenes. So, yeah, a standout sequence of the film. Is it still, does this one still have the NC-17 rating? Yeah, there's a lot of full frontal nudity all throughout. But that is, that's a discussion for another time. In the meantime, let's get right to it.

Wonderful actor and now filmmaker, Paul Bettney, enjoy the kind of. conversation, guys. No, no, I've told you, don't do the song. Let the music. So first of all, I think the last time I saw you was in the middle of madness of age of Ultron. Yes. You were doing a lot of your press with Mr. James Spader. Is that an enjoyable experience?

That must be an interesting experience. It was very enjoyable for a number of reasons. One, he can talk. so if you're feeling you follow though can you you can you can you can you can follow and if you if you um if you're you're feeling tired or you're lost for words it just doesn't matter because he never is so so that was great so um this one this must feel like I mean this is on you it's on Anthony and Jennifer to a degree but this is your baby does it feel like is this a whole different world of when you're kind of promoting something like this is it feel like the weight of of of this project is on your

shoulders. You, I really enjoy and have enjoyed promoting it because you're, you're, you know, your, you're, you're, you feel like you're sort of shouldering some of the weight in a, in a sort of real way. And it, it, um, it's a, it's a, it's a little movie. And so every interview feels urgent and important, you know, and every chance to raise awareness about it is, it feels, you're, you're happy to be there. It must, I don't know what the adjective to assign to it is, but like when I think the cover of the New York Times yesterday, there was a major story about the homeless problem being, not, not getting any better here in New York or our mutual hometown. So this clearly struck a chord for you, like on a personal level. Give a little background of sort of what

happened that precipitated something. Well, I mean, the sort of process of writing, it was, I didn't set out to make a homeless movie. I set out to, I wanted to write a movie and make a movie that was about judgment. Right. And how, in a world of increasing gray area, we seem to be getting more and more entrenched in black and white positions. So, you know, I've been thinking about that. And at about the same time, we, we, in Tribeca, a homeless couple moved next to us. There's a little triangle of land on the corner of canal and the West Side Highway. There's a tiny little park, garden, and they used to sleep in there. And, you know, I'd pass them every day on the school run with my kids, and we'd say good morning,

and they were quite recalcitrant, and I am ashamed to say that more and more I stopped really seeing them and stopped trying to see them and they became part of the landscape of the city in which I live and then Hurricane Sandy happened in the madness of getting my family and pets

into a car and heading to higher ground there was a mandatory evacuation of our area I didn't stop once to think about where they would weather the storm and I never saw them again and so I just got

thinking to thinking that maybe that would be a very good way to talk about judgments. And so present to people who it's difficult to find forgiveness for and then make you forgive them because I think that that's important. My father, my late father, he died recently and I've been thinking a lot about him, obviously. And he was a Catholic, very religious man, and I'm not. But he used to say this thing whenever we passed homeless people in the street. He would say there, but for the grace of God, go I. Sure. And I wonder what happened to that sentiment because I love it,

because it's the sort of admission of how close we all are, how precarious our comfort actually is, and how easily it could be us. Did the writing come easily? I mean, is this something that you, have you written over the years? Is this something that you felt prepared to do? No, I mean, I don't know if I ever feel prepared to do anything, frankly. I never feel well enough equipped to start an acting job,

and I've been doing that for a long time. So I'm always full of doubt and faking confidence, which is the trick. So I'm curious to say that because I've talked to many directors and many first time directors and they're kind of like two different philosophies I feel like for first time filmmakers where they go in pretending to have all the answers even if they don't or they admit like I need help please help me at every stop is it or is it somewhere in between or like where did you find that balance and did it change as you went well I think you have to not look scared you know I think that's true I think you but but I you know this

actors can tell and crew can tell if your director's faking it you know that they know so wait what's a good tell tell tell sign what have you seen in the eyes of your director i can just tell when i'm being bullshitted you know and and um and so i think honesty is honesty up to a point is a very good um uh solution what's your do you have fond memories of the shoot it's a very quick shoot this was like an intense period of time where we shot it in 21 days, which is crazy, which is crazy. And if you're shooting something in 21 days,

you would be very fortunate to, you know, get yourself some great actors. And I had those, you know, I had Anthony and I happened to have an Oscar winning actress lying around at home. So I, I employed that. One might, and I'm sure people have brought this up, like put you on the couch for a second,

to see the kind of trauma that you've put your poor wife through in this film. She goes, as is Anthony, but she especially, goes through some pretty tough stuff. Yeah, it's a pretty, I asked her to go to some pretty dark places. Still, still only the second most traumatic films she'll ever do next to the Reckling for a dream. No matter what you do, it's okay. Yes, exactly. Yeah, exactly. It was pretty hard to try and top.

that, but we tried. You gave it your own. No, but was it, I mean, is that something that, I mean, knowing, obviously knowing her as few do, that she's able and be willing to go to those places that. Absolutely. She, you know, I don't want to force anybody to a place that they don't want to go. And, you know, I don't want that for my actors. And I also don't want that for my audience.

You know, I don't like films. take me to a dark place and just leave me there with the intention behind the film seems to then be, aren't you lucky that, you know, I didn't want to make a film about homelessness being bad because every decent human being knows that it is so, you know. It's a starting place we all accept, yes. Right. So, you know, I thought that might be something more to say about our response to homelessness and um you know to to create two characters one of whom is a ex-terrorist and one of whom is a woman a junkie who has abandoned her child and there's sort of worse things that you can be in

our culture and then but through through forcing you to listen to them um and fall in love with them uh forgive them and in actual fact the film ends up with a lot of hope, you know. And for me, it's that I, I just was, I was trying to write the most honest, happy ending that I, that I could. How much of directing is, you know, just a need to tell your own stories that, that resonate with you and how much of it is also, in a way, like a career plan in that, like, you know, I would like to also have this as an option. I would, as I go forward. Uh, I, I don't think it's born out of that. I think it's, it's definitely born out of, I like telling stories

and here's a different way to tell a story, you know. And that was really interesting and has made me enjoy the sort of myopia of acting more. I love the you can be blind and just look at

your one, your character as an actor. I have enjoyed acting more since I was a directed. What are your directing ambitions?

I mean, can you, if you, in your perfect world, what would you want to chart out for yourself? Sort of doesn't work like that. I have a comedy, a satire that I'm writing that I'm nearly finished with, that I think I want to direct. And maybe star in two, which I am worried about because it's a lot of work directing. This might actually crack your brain in two as opposed to shelter. it just fractured it slightly. Right. You know, so, so, yeah, I want to continue.

I really enjoyed the experiment of trying to give actors their jobs back as storytellers. Right. I do feel that scripts can now be developed to a point where it doesn't really matter if the actor shows up. The story will still survive. And I really understand that from, a producerial, that's not a real word, I've made it up, but you know what I mean, um, uh, standpoint, which is, it's terrifying to leave it until it's happening in front of the camera to know whether it works or not, but, um, you know, five easy pieces doesn't work

without Jack Nicholson showing up in front of the camera. Right. And that's what's sort of extraordinary about it. And I would, would, I want to be clear that I'm not saying that, that there aren't still great, you know, great performances every year in English language movies. But what I am saying is that the 70s seem to be a wash with them. And I'm sure part of the reason was that actors were given, were not so infantilized that they were given a large portion of the job of storytelling. So, you know, we rehearsed a lot.

And every day we would do these things called lineups. and for anybody listening who doesn't know what a lineup is, it's when the actors show up with their scripts and their coffees and their hangovers. And we discuss the scenes that we're doing in the day and then we rehearse the scenes and then we block the scenes and then we invite the crew in to watch them.

Then the actors go off to make up and get ready and we figure out the crew and the director and the DP figure out how we are going to cover what we just watched the actors do and that sounds entirely reasonable but you would be shocked to know how little that happens anymore

what did um it's usually all worked out for you you come down and the marks are all there for you to walk to like what am I here for can I bring something to it exactly time for a special message from our friends

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What were the film's performances, actors that really stand out in your memory that made an impact on you as a young man? Oh, I mean, well, five easy pieces. You know, Dog Day Afternoon, a bunch of Sydney Lumet movies, everything that Merrill Streep ever did. She is, you know, she's my acting legend. Because of versatility, because there's no, there's no fakeness to it, because there's just a truthful. And unerring ability to tell the story, and you sit there thinking, as you watch it, well, it couldn't be anything else other than this. That's the truth. That's where it is.

And that's an amazing, that's an amazing trick. Because, of course, there are myriad. options for the actor, but you are, you, you feel that they simply can't be another choice than the one that Merrill Streep made. How often when you, when you, uh, look at your own work, can you have that moment of like, okay, I think I, I, I touched the truth there. I, I, I hit at least close to the mark. Um, I, I mean, I, I hardly ever watch, uh, films that I'm in, um, anymore. that changed at a certain point or it was just like it wasn't useful at a certain point or it was um i used to i used to watch uh rushes or dailies as they're called in this country um

to the the the the raw pieces of film i used to watch them early on in the in the filming process to see whether i i was making um my character clear but now i i um i don't do i don't do that anymore. I don't want, I don't want that. It just fogs up the brain a little bit. It just clouds your judgment. Yeah, I think you can, I think you, you start to worry about things that are just vain. Yeah. Position my face. I don't want that second chin to show up on this shot. Exactly. All the third. So, you're a New Yorker. We know this well. I'm a New Yorker. So I always welcome, you know,

like-minded folks that, that realize the evils of California. No, we don't hate We just know that we're in the Superior City. When did you move here? Was that for Jennifer? Was it the place that was already in. Yeah, I fell in love with a New Yorker by mistake. And we moved here and I have never moved back. I mean, I think I've been here for 15 years now.

And the lovely thing about New York is after 10 years, you're just a New Yorker and you're drinking coffee and swearing at other drivers with the rest of. New York, you know what I mean So yeah, I love I love this city so much Do you resent how hip Brooklyn has become in recent years You were there first, weren't you? We were there and started moving out

When actors started moving in Enough of the shit I came back to Manhattan Get away from all the actors Yeah Yeah, I don't know The thing that really saddens me about just bringing it back to the film about

New York is over the last 10 years having watched the homelessness crisis just spiral out of control anybody with their eyes open can see it on the on the streets it is it is it's appalling you know we've in the last

over the last 10 years we've lost 32% of public housing in this city and homelessness has spiked to 60,000 citizens sleeping in shelters every night, 24,000 of them are children, and all that's going on in a town home to more billionaires than any other town on earth. And for me, that is shocking.

And, you know, there's a, during the writing of this script, I work very closely and still do with a group called the Coalition for the Homeless. Now, these people are real-life angels working on the streets of New York, and, you know, they provide advocacy, they provide education, they provide meals, they provide a summer camp for children of homeless families. Because, you know, one should stress, this is far and away a financial issue for people. You know, rents are going up. wages are not, you know, I think it's really important to establish a right to counsel in housing court because there isn't one. And if you have counsel as a homeless family, you are 80% less likely to be evicted from your home. Now that council costs $12,500. The average stay of a homeless

family costs the city $45,000. So not only is it morally the right thing today. It makes financial sense. If we need to make it work in your pocketbook, it does guys. You know, and it really is an appalling crisis and winter is coming. So that, that, that, which is why also I delayed the movie, um, uh, coming out because I wanted it to come out around Thanksgiving because unfortunately it is the time that people really start to consider homelessness when it gets cold and miserable and wet and

people are out on the streets or searching for safety with their children. Well, it's exactly what you say and what I think you've accomplished in the film, which is like the first step is just to like acknowledge and not give a face and a voice to these people that, you know, it happens to all of us. We just get lost in our own mundane, silly lives and like ignore what's snacking us right in the face every single day. And it's a, it's a, it's a first step at least. I mean, when you were growing up, you mentioned your dad and kind of like remembering some of his words that, that have, you know, that's stuck with you. I mean, was poverty around? Was

homelessness around? Was there, was there a something instilled in you and your family that was, you know, give back, pay it forward, et cetera, however you want to term it? Yeah, well, it was the 70s in in in London and you know it was a it was we were in a big recession and it was yeah there was there was homelessness and and I saw it and um you know I've the two cities that I've lived in all my life have been New York City and and London so I've been around homelessness all my life and and seen it and you know you again when I started working with the coalition for the homeless here in New York, not only were they brilliant at vetting my script,

and I wanted to know what bureaucracy might be in place to stop a person in need, getting what they need, and they helped me with all of that, but they also got me out on the street to, you know, meet homeless people. And the moment you start talking to anybody and interacting with anybody, you will find that in actual fact it's not just those 24,000 children of that 60,000 figure.

We are all innocence. We are all worthy of forgiveness and a second chance, and we're all fundamentally worthy and deserving of a home. So, yes, it's a matter dear to my heart, yeah. Have you been able to measure exactly exactly? ages of your kids, but like, you know, kids can be relatively self-involved. I know I was as a teenager, et cetera. Do you feel like, is it difficult? I mean, I grew up in the city, actually. I grew up in New York. And I feel like part of the advantage of that was every culture

in my face, every aspect of life in my face. No matter how well off you are, you can't avoid it, which is a great thing, I think. It was that sort of part of the algorithm of raising kids here and has it been easy for you guys to kind of like, you know, raise level-headed kids in this environment? Yeah, I mean, I think that you have to be really smart about how you, in my and Jennifer's position, about how you frame your own good fortune and privilege. And I think that they are really aware of their own privilege. I remember we were traveling, you know, when you get flown out by film companies,

you get flown out first class, and we were traveling first class. And my son was at the time about eight years old, my eldest, who's now at college, unbelievably. And he was complaining about the seat, and I looked at him, and I went, oh, and so he and I, you know, we traveled economy for a year because I just wasn't going to have that kid. I just wasn't going to raise that kid. in the privilege of, you know, living in a city like this and being safe financially is,

you have to make that clear to your children. You have to make clear how fortunate you are and how precarious life is for so many other people. And also the other really great thing that I am my good fortune is to travel. And for my children, to meet other cultures, you know, and, and see the, yes, the wonderful differences, but also just the glaring, obvious commonality of being human.

And, you know, a lot of people the first time they travel from this country, they've got a gun in their hand, you know what I mean? I think being able to being able to travel I think is our greatest that is my greatest good fortune I love it and I love and also it's we're lucky enough

not to just be traveling on holiday you know or you know for a vacation for two weeks I go and you know I was in Mexico for six months you know and that's an extraordinary experience if you allow it to be an extraordinary experience. Right, if you don't cocoon in your hotel room. Absolutely.

You know, we took the kids, we were, they were young, my daughter hadn't been born, and Jennifer was shooting, and we were in sub-Saharan Africa for five months. It was an amazing experience for those children. And so, yeah, I think as long as you're really proactive in, in showing them their privilege and appreciating their privilege and and giving back you know I I think it's okay at what age in your in your own life do you feel like that you felt safe in your career like that you oh I don't think I ever have seriously yeah no I don't think I don't think you ever do I mean

maybe some people do maybe they do my experience experience is, is that the moment you're, the moment you're really hot, you're already getting cold. You know what I mean? Right. Wait, wait. I'm just enjoying this. Wait, wait, wait, wait, guys. It's just physics.

Do you look back fondly of, of like, is there, does anything ever rival kind of those first brushes with like being like the hot guy, the, a knight's tale moment? Those kind of early moments in films were like, yeah, you're, you get those kind of like little features in Vanity Fair. like, oh, he's the next thing or whatever. Do you look back fondly on those times, or was it like... I look back more kind of like, you just... You had this feeling that the tap wasn't going to turn off, you know?

Right. And I look at... Oh, this is how it is. This is my life now. This is how it is. Yeah. But, yeah, the... The...

Yeah, those feelings. I remember the first job I had was in a play by Stephen Doldry, and I was a theater in the West End in London. old witch theater and I walked up to the theater and they put my name up and there was my name in lights and I went and stood on a bridge and on Westminster Bridge and I looked at the Thames and it was just flowing out like it was going to be and there was this sun was going down and it was this golden light on the river that sort of seemed to be like this golden highway of my future and of course life is curly and throws you you know curveballs and and and it isn't like that but I so I don't I don't

have those feelings anymore of, of just sort of wide-eye. You're wise enough to know that there's going to be a dip after there's a, absolutely. And, and, you know, the other thing that I've noticed in, in, in the sort of troughs and highs of, of, of, of, of, of doing well in this weird business is that your, you know, the, your, your, your jokes become more and less funny with how well you're doing. and people See I wouldn't be laughing like that

if you weren't in Avengers right now I would know it's true and so the next time it happens you think you're a little wiser to it you know and you're a little you realize that people are experiencing you as something that you're not when they're meeting you

and they're you know you meet fans and you see they want you to sign something or they want to take a picture and their hands and you think what why why because do you want to sit down and have a cup of tea you know are you all right I'm screwed up as you trust me and it's it's so that's really it's it's interesting to see that and it's and how you are dealt with by the

business and and and how that fluctuates and and it's all ephemeral and and somebody to do with somebody else it's really it's really interesting You've obviously worked with some amazing the filmmakers and actors over your career. I'm curious, like, you know, we were talking about sort of influences early on, people like Meryl Streep, et cetera. You also worked, correct if I'm wrong, Peter O'Toole was in a relatively early film of yours? Oh, it was a, we did a TV show together. So that's amazing. I'm fascinated by Peter O'Toole.

I was any fan of film and theater is. What are your recollections of working with that character? He's the, he was the naughtiest, naughtiest man. You know, there's lots of stories about how we can work out how he was getting drunk because he was coming in without any alcohol going into his trailer. He just had a bag of oranges and then he handed me one of the oranges and it was vodka that he had injected into this orange. There's almost something to be admired about that.

It really was, but my overwhelming memory, and it's not really a memory, it's just a feeling. When you were with him, you were just certain that nobody else in the entire world was having as good a time as you were. Yeah, no, totally. He was just wonderful and luminous and funny and mercurial and brilliant.

And I'll miss him. A lot of those adjectives could describe your buddy, Mr. Johnny Depp. Yeah. Who do you think owns more scarves, you or Johnny? Yeah, we're both scarves. starts. Yeah, we really like the scarves. Is that a basis of friendship? Is that something that you base most of your friendships on? Yes, I insist on men don't wear enough scarves. I'll know that for next time. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Paul. Wouldn't it work on me?

Oh, yes, it works on everybody? It works on everybody. So what do you and Johnny do for fun? What's a fun night with Johnny Deff? Oh, well, I mean, it depends where we are, but usually they're guitars involved and sitting down playing guitars and just And we really make each other laugh. Yeah. He's a really funny, generous, warm human being who has absolutely no concept of time. Yeah, which is probably why he still looks so young because he just hasn't figured out that, you know, 50 years have gone by. You mentioned music.

You've never done a musical as far as I remember, right? Is that something that, like, do you sing or are you someone that isn't kind of like? I wanted to be a guitar player was what I really wanted to do. I read you, you busked for a while. I was a busker. I was a busker, or as my grandmother used to call it, a vagrant. Did you do well? Were you popular?

You know, you would, it's a miserable job. I mean, it's really, it's, you know, that's living, you know, that's living hand to mouth. And it's tiring and exhausting and cold and wet, you know, it was really what I remember. member of it in London. But, yeah, no, I really never want to go back to that, please. Yeah, so, you know, would I do a musical? Yeah, I would if the thing was right. Yeah.

It occurs to me like the kind of people, like, you know, I mentioned Johnny, I mentioned something like Peter O'Toole, who anyone would want to be, you know, hang out with for a few months if they could. But, like, you know, you've worked with Russell, Crowe, obviously a couple times. These are guys that are like, I feel like the perception is it's tough to crack through. It's tough to like break into their little world in a way. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I know.

Yeah, I do. I do know what you mean. Is there a reason why you think sometimes you're able to penetrate where others haven't, folks like Russell or? Sounds dirty. Well, you're disgusting man, so. I know. I don't, I don't, I don't know. I think with Russell, Russell and I met at the time where he was.

everything in Hollywood and I think he was interested that I didn't seem to have that much interest I wasn't wowed by my heroes really are you know musicians I mean I met Damon Albarn recently in a hotel lobby and I was like a star-struck teenager

I didn't know how to speak you know so that's really my experience of that So I don't really have that with actors. Yeah. And they're so used to that. So if someone treats them like a human being, yeah. For them, you know.

But Johnny and I fell in love, like, at first sight over a crowded room, really. And I went, oh, yeah, I'm going to know you for life and just knew immediately. And we have laughed every minute that we've been together ever since. Working with Harrison Ford, were you ever able to make him laugh legitimately? Was he, was he someone that's notoriously not easy to. to warm over either. No, he is he's

no, we got him well. I don't mean that as a surprising thing. I mean, I think he's like, I think his wit is great. It's just very dry. He's incredibly dry and what I really appreciate is I mean, is there anybody more famous

than Harrison Ford and he didn't have any security at any point that I worked with him and his security was walking really quickly. I remember we went out for dinner in New York City and I I just thought that there would be

you know thousands he would have thousands a big entourage and you know security looking after him he didn't he just walked really really quickly and he incongruously had one of those clips for his mobile phone you know like like a geography teacher it was really uncool and he had this clip

that he would put his phone into and I thought why have you got like a utility belt Right. No matter what he does to himself, he will remain the coolest man on the planet, whether he has a fanny pack or a utility belt. It is, it is extraordinary. He is very, very cool. Are you a consumer much of film and TV today? Are you, do you make it a habit? I mean, you're a busy guy with a family and a film you've directed, et cetera, but. Oh, yeah. I mean, it's my industry and I love it. Who are the recent films, filmmakers? What, what, what's touched?

you in a recent year or two. Well, I'm really, well, you know, it's quite eclectic. You know, a really big Tarkovsky fan, and I'm also a really big, right now, you know, more, more, more sort of recent is Jacques Odiard, who I just think is the most extraordinary director out there at the moment, you know. I think his films are so hard-hitting, but they always. have hope. They, you know, they don't do that thing that I don't like in films where they just take you to a dark place and leave you there and say, aren't you lucky you're not them. Right.

You know, and they have a, you know, a prophet, which is set in a, in a, in a prison has a visual poetry to it, you know, which is rarely afforded to, um, you know, which is rarely afforded to, um, um, people of, um, their social standing, you know, uh, usually you expect to have some sort of granular, gritty, um, movie making. Uh, and it's got such deft, gorgeous framing and, uh, you know, so I, I love, um, I love, um, I love Odiard. I, I think he's my, um, he's my guy. Is, is there, was there, was there, a reto, obviously, um, about everybody says in orita. So I'm, that's granted, yeah, exactly. Was there a moment's hesitation then given, like, people like Tarkovsky and Odiard, like, Avengers movies, was there like, okay, this, because it's Joss and because it's Marvel and they know what they're doing, like, I'll trust in this, because, you know, to some, that can be a turnoff for certain actors, I suppose.

Oh, no, I mean, I, no, I mean, if it were all I was allowed to do in my life was dress up in a muscle suit and be purple. I would, you know, maybe hesitate, but it's not, you know, and I love doing it and I love, I love watching those movies, you know, I hadn't watched them and my, you know, I got the job, so I thought, well, I better see these movies and I, I loved watching them, I love spectacles, you know, I always have, like I say, it's a real sort of eclectic, um, uh, uh, love of film, you know? So, Noah Baumbach, you know, I just think some extraordinary movies he's made. I love, you know, all sorts of cinema, Darren Aronovsky, for goodness sake, you know. And these people were, I'm Ron Howard, and these people were, after my actors, Jennifer Connolly, my wife, and Anthony Mackie, my second wife, the filmmakers that I had worked with and filmmakers that I've come to know and admire

were my biggest resource they would watch early cuts of my film and give me notes and in fact Johnny Depp came to a screening and for the first time in his life was 45 minutes early for something which was amazing

and that was invaluable I saw what Downey hosted a screening last week in L.A. It's good to have friends like these that are both resources and can help spread the good word. Exactly. One two seconds.

Microphone adjustment. Microphone adjustment. Yeah, Downey doing that was so sweet because again, you know, you're, you're, it is, it is about raising awareness for a very small, um, uh, film and, uh, that, that's hard to do now because there's so much noise. out there

and you know Johnny is going to host a screening in LA next month for me Ron Howard hosted one in New York City so it's

there's real you know the business is so it's always painted it's a bad rap yeah exactly it's always painted as this

hugely competitive you know cruel workspace and it sort of is actually in reality

but there is real comradeship and especially with filmmakers. You know, I love, I never feel any jealousy or fury when I see, you know, a great movie. I'm just taken away somewhere and so pleased that this filmmaker has been able to take me away and make me think or make me laugh. or make me laugh or make me, I love movies. And you know how difficult it is and how rare it is when the pieces fit together and and the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into it. Absolutely. You know, it's a lot of work making a bad film.

Do you know what I mean? It really is. And, you know, so I'm, and by the way, it doesn't just stop at film, you know, TV at the moment is extraordinary. You know, I'm a huge house of cards fan. and also a massive Walking Dead fan. I heard that.

You know, this will probably shock you could probably tell him a huge nerd working at the stuff in my office. I don't watch Walking Dead. What am I, I'm missing it all,

huh? I'm missing everything. I love it. You need to start from the beginning and also the fear the Walking Dead is, but you need to really have, it really is,

for me, a companion piece because what's great is you're so far ahead of them. They're figuring it out and you've, you've already watched, you know, five and a half seasons

or whatever, and you're, you know that things aren't getting better and the, the, the, the, the, the, is just not going to turn up. And yet, they're waiting and it's such, it's so stressful, it's brilliant. What about Game of Thrones?

I've never watched Game of Thrones. I don't know why. The last two people on the planet at this. Yeah, I think, I think we are. And I, I don't, I miss jokes at dinner parties. I don't know what anybody's talking about. John Snow, blah, blah, blah, blah. What, anybody

he's a news presenter in my country, Jostner. So, well, I'm curious, back to, you mentioned, like, picking the brains of some of these actors and directors that you've made really lasting friendships with over the years. Was there anything you learned, like, whether it was in the editing stage or even after the film was done, that you can apply to the next time around? Oh, yeah, myriad.

I mean, so many things, but the most important one is time. Yeah. Time. I had, if we were, lucky and things were going really badly, I would have three takes of any given setup. So time is everything. What's your, you're done with the Civil War, I think, by now, yes.

You guys finished, wrap that up. Yeah. And then we move into the next one in November. Oh, my gosh. It's November. It's not this November, the next November. Is the purple paint, do we know for a fact that it's not giving you some horrible disease? We don't know that.

The toxic virility of the makeup is as yet. You're our guinea pig. You're taking one for the team. Thanks, Paul. Sure. Yeah. Was it more enjoyable the second go-around on Civil War versus Age of Ultron? Was it different, a different kind of experience?

Well, what I learned is on the first one, I had, my head had been shaved for another job. And, you know, I have to wear this ball cap that comes down under my eyebrows and then it's glued to my head and hair. And then this sort of balaclava, this rubber balaclava that has then stuck to my head and hair and face. And I realized this time I had longish hair. And I came home and my wife went, you've gone bald. And I went, you've gone bald. And I had, I don't look in the mirror. And I went, and I looked.

And I went, oh, my God, I've gone bald. And so I shaved my hair and it all grew back. But what I realized was the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the application of this, this mask has been, has been, has been, um, to have been tearing my hair out, literally tearing my hair out. And my wife hadn't seen me in a couple of weeks. And she went, it's making you go bored. You're basically the Jeff Goldham character in the fly. You are deteriorating as we, you know, in front. By the, thanks for dressing up in the full vision costume for me today.

I never go anywhere with that. I'm surprised that it suits you. Thank you very much. In our remaining time, on a wider note, I've got Indiana Jones Fedora with some random assorted questions. Oh, Lord. You don't need to answer all of them by any means. Don't worry.

This will take hours. But try your hand. Let's see if there's an interesting question or two in there. All right. And we'll send you on your way in Rainy, New York. All right. If I were a rapper, my name would be, I have no idea. I have no idea.

I feel like it's like D.J. P.B. M.C. P.B. Yeah. Peanut butter and jelly. When I was a kid, my hero was, wow. Yeah. Well, my hero was John Lennon. Yes. And still is. Good way to go. Yeah.

The most interesting person in the world is... You know a few of them, I feel like. We've talked about a few of them. The most interesting person in the world right now. Wow. That's such a difficult question. For me right now, I'm working with a man called Reza Aslan. Oh, yeah.

And he's truly, truly brilliant. We're writing a thing together. Yeah, look him up online. He's extraordinary. This is the satire you were talking about? No, we have a project together that we're working on. Cool. Um, my drink of choice is what, you know, as the winter months come in, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, um, I'm, um, I'm, uh, a hot toddy for a second. I didn't know.

Warming rum. Ready, Mr. Bettany's warm rum, please. Um, my favorite, uh, candy bar, nobody will know it in this country. It's called a cabana bar. What's in it? Um, it's kind of like a, um, it's kind of like a, um, it's kind of like a coconuty cherry. thing from the 70s I'm not even sure they're made anymore again it was the toxic virility of the Barnabar I think is

Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings wow you know I'm I'm gonna have to go Lord of the Rings how do you not end up in one of those either franchise I know what the hell was going on there

the accent's real everything come on karaoke absolutely not have you ever karaokeed? I have. I don't get it. I mean, I don't get it because I play a guitar.

You're for real. You're not a... And the kids, my, my favorite place in the world really is my barn. And I have this barn in Vermont and in it are loads of guitars

and drum kits and PA system. It's the whole family. It's like the Parkage family. Oh, the whole family. Yeah, yeah, and everybody. I mean, we, we have. have these big

parties at Christmas and New Year's and everybody we get we get to do gigs and I get to you know live out my

rock fantasies John Lennel and there he is and I go home with the prettiest groupie ever in that I wish I could

change this about my body I'm too tall what? How tall are you're six three six what? I say I'm

six three I'm actually nearer six four but I have lied. This is the first time I've sort of publicly admitted it. It says it on my driver's license that I'm 6.3. I'm not. I'm 6.4, really. And I feel that 6.3 is the sort of cut off before you go into sort of basketball territory. And I don't play basketball. So I kind of, yeah,

I've always felt that I was too tall. Oh, poor Paul. Now the tears are ruining the vision makeup. Exactly. And I'm not saying that I want to be small. I just think six foot. I think six foot is a really, is a really,

is a sort of perfect. I'd take it. My favorite Halloween costume is the vision. Go and buy it now. Go and buy it now. Not that I have any money. I was going to say you've got the best

contract in the business. You determine your own end, by the way, feel free. When you feel like we're going on on a good note. I'm, let me, where haven't you been that you want to go to? India.

I really want to. go to India. Everybody, once you go, the sense has exploded from what I gather. I really, really, really do. And I also want to travel more in Africa, because we had maybe the most extraordinary time. I'd really like to take a year off, actually, and travel Africa properly. It is an extraordinary continent and where we are all from. I've never heard that.

Is that true? That's where we're all from. Of course. Honestly, thank you so much for coming by today. Big congratulations on the film. It's a tough subject, but it's, as you say, it's filled with some hope in there too, and it's filled with great performances, and you should feel very proud of it. Thank you very much.

Everybody check it out. Thanks, Paul. Good to see you, man. Take care, mate. Meet the Klebsjian's three generations of coffee roasters. Master Roaster Henry has been roasting coffee in San Francisco for six days a week for over 30 years. His son Harag is equally passionate about serving you the perfect cup of Joe. Coffee isn't just a business for the Klebsjian's.

It's in their lineage. To experience the buzz, visit Henry's House of Coffee.com and enter promo code happy to get free shipping today. You have nothing to lose. and a new coffee obsession to gain. Hey, it's Sean Clements from Hollywood Handbook, and that's an Earwolf podcast. And it's come to my attention that Earwolf and Howell has been doing

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So this is just me, making announcement to you, a listener of a different show, that we will never, ever try to sneak a clip of our show into the end of another show because, frankly, it's disgusting to me. And I hope, I hope that they do not attach a clip of my show that they feel would be a highlight and a selling point to an uninitiated listener. Under the end of this message,

it would defeat the entire purpose of what I'm saying and they promised me they wouldn't. And so now what's going to happen is I'll stop talking and nothing else will play afterwards and that's the way I want it and that's what's good and you're welcome for me being so righteous. There are just so many other options

for who could have done this. Some of the really tough guys out there. Maybe someone actually tough. Who should have been the Batman. For example, how about one of these Metallica guys? Nothing's tougher than really. rocking so hard on the drums. It could have been, and I hate to say this,

but what about Kim Jong-un? Yes, what about Kim Jong-un? Who's scarier and tougher? And who's rich and can afford all those gadgets? Yes. Hollywood Handbook. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

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