Paul Bettany: My parents thought I was crazy

Actor Paul Bettany says his parents thought he was crazy because of his fascination with the "Star Wars" franchise. "I can say I became an actor because of John Cassavetes' movies, but I'd really be lying. For me, it happened when I saw 'Star Wars' around 1978. And my life changed. I went to see it every day for a week. My parents thought I was crazy," Bettany said in a statement to IANS.

Bettany, known for his role as Vision in the "Avengers" franchise, will be seen in "Solo: A Star Wars" as bad guy Dryden Vos. On his love for the "Star Wars" franchise, he said: "Ever since, I've been a fan, I have never asked anybody for a job ever, but the truth of how I got this job is that I texted Ron Howard saying, 'Hey, Ron, have you ever spent long wintery evenings wondering why you're not in the 'Star Wars' movies?' And my old mate, with whom I've worked before, came through for me. About a week later, he said to come and play 'Star Wars' with him. It's been just brilliant. It's been a real dream come true.

"But being able to bring over my 14-year-old son take him on the Millennium Falcon was really something. I was like a kid. We were both like, 'Oh, that's the chess table'. For the pair of us, it was really special. It's been a special time." "Solo: A Star Wars Story" tells the story of how Han Solo met his future copilot Chewbacca before the events in the original 1977 "Star Wars". The film is the second anthology film after 2016's "Rogue One".

How did you like working with Emilia Clarke? "She is so lovely. She went to the same drama school as me, which is the Drama Centre London. So, she and I have a very similar education in drama and acting, and we work in very similar ways. It was really nice to be able to talk about the school and the methods that we were taught."

Bettany says he loves these "offshoot movies that they're doing". "Though being a 'Star Wars' movie, this is a different tone because while it's still a hero's journey, it is a heist caper with more humour in it than a lot of 'Star Wars' movies have been afforded time for in their stories. I think these stories are a really a good addition. While still being a part of the 'Star Wars' world, they are their own thing. It's quite unique," he added. It also stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The film will release in India on May 25.

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