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

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.