As Wandavision draws closer to release, we shine the spotlight on Paul Bettany, who has played Vision since his very first appearance in the MCU. The English actor first became noticed in Britain in 2000 when he played a young gangster in Paul McGuigan's Gangster No. 1. Since this, he has built up a career that spans a wide variety of diverse roles, from romantic comedies to gritty dramas and many things in between.
As well as his range, Bettany is also known for being selective about his work. He has pulled out of some large projects and even turned down Oscar-winning roles. We take a look at some of his most iconic roles, as well as the characters that he almost played.
Iconic: Geoffrey Chaucer In A Knight's Tale (2001)
Writer and Director Brian Heldorin actually wrote the part of Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knight's Tale for Bettany and it shows. He is absolutely perfect for the role, which sees him performing alongside Heath Ledger's peasant turned knight William Thatcher.
The movie is inspired by Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" and the life of William Marshall. It follows the talented squire William Thatcher's attempts to make it as a knight with the support of his cohorts Roland and Wat as well as Chaucer, who forges some documents to grant him the nobility he requires to make it.
Almost Played: King George VI In The King's Speech (2010)
According to IMDb, David Seidler has stated that he originally wrote the role of King George VI with Bettany in mind but he turned the role down, citing needing a break after a string of roles close together. Instead, Colin Firth stepped into the role and won an Oscar for his performance.
The King's Speech was in production around the time Bettany played the lead roles of Charles Darwin in Creation and Michael in Legion. He was also involved in The Young Victoria, The Tourist and Iron Man 2, all of which were released in 2009 and 2010. No wonder he needed a break.
Iconic: Charles In A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A Beautiful Mind sees Russell Crowe star as John Nash a brilliant mathematician who lives a troubled life that is thrown into chaos after he accepts some work in cryptography. It's based on the life of John Forbes Nash Jr. a Nobel Laureate in Economics with a history of mental health issues. Bettany plays Charles, his university roommate.
The movie won four Oscars including Best Picture as well as a string of other accolades. It was also on the set that Bettany met Jennifer Connelly. The pair married in early 2003 and have two children.
Almost Played: William Masters In Masters of Sex (2013 - 2016)
Back in 2012, Bettany was reportedly cast as human sexuality pioneer William Master in Showtime's Masters of Sex drama. The show is an adaptation of Masters of Sex: The Life And Times Of William Masters And Virginia Johnson, The Couple Who Taught America How To Love by Thomas Maier, and ran for four seasons.
While casting negotiations were taking place before the pilot, the news broke that Bettany was no longer involved. No reason was been given for Bettany's withdrawal from the project, which would have been his American TV series debut. The role was later filled by Michael Sheen.
Iconic: Dr. Stephen Maturin, Surgeon In Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World sees Paul Bettany reunited with A Beautiful Mind star Russell Crowe. The adventure drama is set during the Napoleonic Wars and sees Crowe star as Capt. Jack Aubrey, while Bettany is cast as Dr. Stephen Maturin, Surgeon.
Maturin is Aubrey's most trusted advisor and closest friend on the ship, H.M.S. Surprise, but the pair end up at loggerheads over decisions made during their seemingly impossible mission to capture or destroy The Acheron, a superior ship.
Almost Played: Martin Bright In Official Secrets (2019)
Official Secrets is a British-American docudrama based on the life of Katharine Gun. She was a whistleblower who leaked a memo exposing an illegal spying operation at the time the UN was seeking a resolution regarding the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.
Bettany was originally linked to the project back in 2016 when he was cast as Martin bright alongside Natalie Dormer who was set to play Katharine Gun. However, over a year later filming still hadn't begun. Then in January 2018, the project was reworked with Matt Smith and Keira Knightley taking the lead roles and filming finally commencing. The movie was released in 2019.
Iconic: Wimbledon (2004)
In Wimbledon, Paul Bettany plays Peter Colt, a tennis player whose world ranking dropped from 11th to 119th. Now in this thirties, Colt considers just playing one last Wimbledon then taking a job as a coach. Then he meets Kirsten Dunst's Lizzie Bradbury.
This romantic comedy seems like the type that would have Hugh Grant's name on the poster, yet Bettany fits surprisingly well into his shoes. The role may not be his best but it took him out of his comfort zone and he pulled off the role of rom-com lead.
Almost Played: Francis Dolarhyde In Red Dragon (2002)
Bettany decided to turn down the role of Francis Dolarhyde AKA The Tooth Fairy in Red Dragon in favor of playing Tom Edison in Lars Von Trier's Dogville. Ralph Fiennes went on to play the serial killer instead. Both movies ended up with mediocre reviews.
While we'll never know if Bettany regretted this choice, it has been reported that he called the experience of filming Dogville “eight enormously long weeks in the most depressing place I have ever been to in my life”. The film also continues to generate rumors regarding Von Triers conduct on the set.
Iconic: Vision/Jarvis In The MCU (2008 - Present)
Clearly this list wouldn't be complete with Bettany's role in the MCU. He has actually been involved since the very beginning when he was cast as the voice of JARVIS in Jon Favreau's Iron Man. He maintained this role throughout all three Iron Man movies as well as in Avengers Assemble.
When Joss Whedon was making Avengers: Age of Ultron he offered Bettany the role of Vision. This meant that Bettany played both JARVIS and Vision in the final movie. He also reprised the latter role in Avengers: Infinity War and will do so once more in Wandavision.
Almost Played: Charles Ryder In Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Back in 2004, Brideshead Revisited had Paul Bettany cast as Matthew Goode, alongside Jude Law and Jennifer Connelly. David Yates was lined up for directing duties. After budget issues that stalled production Yates left to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with the others following suit. Yates's replacement, Julian Jarrold, recast the roles and Matthew Goode replaced Bettany.
Brideshead Revisited is based on the Evelyn Waugh novel of the same name and received mixed reviews at the box office.