Movies Online 
Movie InkHeart
Posted By: Sheila Roberts
January 16, 2009
(ed.Article was edited to remove content deamed unnessasary for this
site. To read the complete interview, click the "Movies Online" link
above. Tom Kasner, It's a Ferret Life)
MoviesOnline sat down recently with Paul
Bettany to talk about his new film, “Inkheart,” a
fantasy adventure based on the best-selling book by Cornelia Funke
that sends a father and daughter on a quest through worlds both real
and imagined in search of a family member who disappeared under mysterious
circumstances.
Paul Bettany plays Dustfinger, the homesick fire juggler whom Mo accidentally
brings to life while reading the novel, Inkheart. Director Iain Softley
tells us, "From the beginning, Paul was the person I had thought of
for Dustfinger. He has that mercurial and mischievous quality that
Dustfinger has. And he played his emotional scenes with great depth
and understanding."
Paul Bettany is an amazing actor and we really appreciated his time.
Here’s what he had to tell us about his new movie, “Inkheart”:
Q: What was the challenge with that ferret? Eliza said
you got the worst of it?
Paul Bettany: I did get the worst of it. It’s a
real big tradeoff. And here's the thing about ferrets is that male
ferrets are very docile, so that's the one that sits on your shoulder
like this. And that it sounds hugely un-PC, but we are talking about
ferrets. The female ferrets are vicious.
Q: Really?
Paul Bettany: Vicious. And so they put a bit of baby food
up here (behind his ear) and then they show the female ferret the baby
food, and it’s like ah-ah-ash-ah. And then they run off. And
they let it go and it goes hell for leather towards you
and you sit
there going, “Oh jesus!” And it runs up here
and then they grab it and then they put the man back on, the male ferret
back on who’s like that.
Q: What if they don’t grab it off you after it grabs the
food?
Paul Bettany: I would have thrown that thing. An animal would
have been hurt while making the movie.
Q: To think, after all your actor’s training to do that.
Paul Bettany: But it’s a real tradeoff because the thing
with the dudes, and this is very similar actually to human beings,
is that the female ferrets they smell fine, and the male ferrets…
Q: Oh no.
Paul Bettany: Oh my god.
Q: Funky?
Paul Bettany: Oh funky. And they have this tiny little
penis here. A tiny, little penis that’s…
Q: I wonder how you know that?
Paul Bettany: Well because it’s right by my face. And
it emits so much smell for such a tiny, little thing. Oh, oh,
and it gets worse as the weather gets hot.
Q: Were there any groomers?
Paul Bettany: Groomers? No, you can't deal with the little… It’s
very hard to wash your ferret. “Did you have my ferret’s
penis scrubbed? I'm not going to work with him unless…”
Q: You didn't put that in your contract.
Paul Bettany: “Penis scrubbing.”
Q: Did you develop a special relationship with your ferret Wrangler?
Paul Bettany: No.
Q: And what about Fire?
Paul Bettany: Fire?
Q: I mean, was that all CGI?
Paul Bettany: All CGI. The ferret, I keep telling the
truth about it and I shouldn't but…
“Inkheart” opens in theaters on January 23rd.
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