Paul Bettany says Marvel transformed his life after he was told his career was over

By Francesca Halliwell

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - British actor Paul Bettany said Marvel has transformed his career and personal life after an unlikely twist of fate over a decade ago saw him offered the role of Vision moments after being told his Hollywood career was over.

Speaking to Reuters at the London premiere of Disney+ TV miniseries "VisionQuest" on Monday, Bettany said being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had afforded him opportunities both on and off screen.

"It means I have been able to not take jobs and spend time with my family. It means that I've been able to direct and write a movie. It means that I can get movies that I wouldn't without it funded," he said.

Bettany first joined Marvel as the voice of artificial intelligence assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. before making his on-screen debut as android Vision in 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

The actor said the opportunity to play Vision came at a difficult point in his career, after a producer told him that two box office disappointments had effectively ended his prospects in Hollywood.

"I was doing an audition with a producer who will remain nameless, who told me my career was over," he said. "I got up, I walked out, I went downstairs and my legs gave way. I sat on Sunset Boulevard and I went, you know what, maybe he's right, maybe my career is over," Bettany said.

"Then my phone rang, I answered it and it was Joss Whedon who said, 'Would you like to play the Vision?' And that is a true story."

"VisionQuest" completes a trilogy that began with 2021's "WandaVision" and continued with 2024's "Agatha All Along". The new series follows Vision as he searches for a new purpose while on the run with a mysterious boy who may be his son.

Creator and showrunner Terry Matalas said the series engages with contemporary concerns around AI.

"We have this house that's supposed to be in the mind of an AI and it gets things slightly off in the way that AI does when it's taking an amalgamation of many things and turning it into one," he said.

For actor James D'Arcy, "VisionQuest" continues a hallmark of Marvel storytelling by combining action with emotional and philosophical themes.

"It's about the nature of being human," he said.