Why WandaVision Episode 1 Made Paul Bettany Very Nervous

WandaVision star Paul Bettany reveals that filming episode 1 of the MCU show made him particularly nervous. Acting as the first of the live-action MCU shows, WandaVision was a hit with both critics and audiences upon its debut on Disney+. The show picks up after Vision's apparent death in Avengers: Infinity War, depicting the idyllic suburban lives of Vision and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), with each episode taking the form of different family-oriented sitcoms dating back to the 1950s.

WandaVision episode 1, which takes the form of the hit 1950s and 60s sitcoms I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show, features a three-camera soundstage setup and is filmed in black and white. The episode tells the story of Wanda and Vision's attempts to conceal their powers during a dinner party with Vision's boss. Much like I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show, the episode was shot in front of a live studio audience. The rest of WandaVision would channel shows like The Twilight Zone, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch, Full House, Malcolm in the Middle, and Modern Family as it moved through television history.

During a recent appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Bettany explains that shooting WandaVision episode 1 actually made him extremely nervous due to the live studio audience. Bettany revealed he hadn't shot in front of a live audience for over 25 years, and was very uneasy about the whole thing. After he got his first laugh, however, Bettany says that the whole experience got a lot easier. Check out Bettany's full comment below:

"I was really resistant. I really didn't want to do it and I said, 'I think this is a really bad idea.' And they said, 'well, we think it's the only way we can get the energy that they had where they're projecting past the cameras to an audience.' And I said, 'okay, okay.' I was so nervous and then I got on stage and I got my first laugh and I'm so shallow that I was like, 'I've wasted my entire life! I should be doing sitcoms. What have I done?'"

WandaVision remains one of the more unique MCU projects to date, due mostly to the bold creative choices of the show's creator and head writer Jac Schaeffer. The decision to film WandaVision episode 1 with a live studio audience does make the show feel extremely similar to the likes of its I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke Show inspirations. Episode 1 is the only installment of the MCU series to feature a live audience but it sounds like, after the experience of shooting WandaVision's pilot, Bettany would've liked subsequent episodes to feature this added layer, too.

Although WandaVision was popular with both fans and critics, it doesn't look like the show will get to explore any more retro sitcom influences with a season 2. Olsen recently confirmed that WandaVision is a limited series and is unlikely to come back, with Scarlet Witch's story seeming to continue instead in movie form with the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While Vision could return in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, the character could also be well and truly gone. If Vision doesn't return, at least Bettany's final experience playing the character was a positive one, even if he had to overcome a few nerves to get there.

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Source: Late Night With Seth Meyers