Unlike other Inkheart characters who've been brought to life from the book world they inhabit, Paul Bettany's character wants to go back. Recently, ReelzChannel talked to Bettany about playing Dustfinger, a fire-eating juggler who also serves as the villain's henchman.
ReelzChannel: This is a lighter role for you -- you've been in some very intense movies. Was this a conscious decision to delve into some lighter roles?
Bettany: Well, I wanted to make a movie, finally, that my children can see. I mean, they've been on set with me when I've made a lot of movies, but none I would let them see at this point. So I was looking for a movie that they can see, but I wanted it to be an intelligent kids movie. And I found one -- and my son happened to be reading the novel at the same time, so it all kind of worked out for us.
RC: So it was a coincidence -- your son was reading the novel and all of a sudden you get this script and it's the same title?
Bettany: It had been recommended by someone at school and, you know, he happened to be reading it. I thought, in an entirely cynical way, I would make him think I was really cool.
RC: I'm sure he does.
Bettany: I don't know. We'll see. He hasn't seen it. He'll see it in the premiere.
RC: I'm sure he knows you were the voice of Jarvis in Iron Man?
Bettany: Yeah, that was annoying how cool he thought that was. Everything else I've done, but "Dad, you were the voice of Iron Man!" ...That's a whole other genre of movie. I've done enough of that.
RC: One thing you had to learn to do was juggle. I read that you kind of changed the whole juggling theme to make it a little easier to do. What is it called?
Bettany: It's called poi and that's not...
RC: ...entirely true, even though it's in the production notes?
Bettany: They, well perhaps it's true. I just don't know about it. I started learning the poi really early on because they had done some tests. They felt the juggling was really quite boring on screen. I mean, on screen it really is quite boring, where as certain things on fire at the end of chains, swinging them around, looks a bit exciting -- is sort of visually quite stunning. You know, the sort of the flare of the torches going by. So that's how it was decided. Want to believe?
RC: Well, you did a great job.