simple psychosis: Paul Bettany as Silas in The Da Vinci Code

Paul Bettany plays the assassin Silas in The Da Vinci Code. This is what he had to say about his role.

On playing Silas: He?s very damaged goods? his psychosis is being used as a weapon by the bishop, Aringarosa. And he?s very simple. His father used to call him a ghost and obviously he was picked on because he was different which got him into all sorts of trouble growing up. Then by a twist of fate he ends up in a situation where he saves the life of Aringarosa. The bishop calls him an angel and ?educates? him, and suddenly Silas finds a purpose to his life and a reason for all of the pain and insults that sort of constituted his life. He (even) self flagellates in order to suffer in the same manner as Christ has suffered. He?s really not a happy bunny.

On getting the role: I think it was really a difficult part to cast because it?s the character with the most striking appearance. But for me it was incredibly simple because Ron Howard phoned me up and said: ?Paul, I?m making a film of The Da Vinci Code, do you want to be in it?? And it took me about .2 seconds to say ?yes?. Because I think if you?re a young actor and Ron Howard rings you up and says: ?Paul, do you want to be in The Code??, and you say, ?no?, you probably should go home and reconsider your choice of career.

The experience: I like working with the same people again because I think so much of one?s effort in making movies is spent in just trying to be relaxed. I just walked straight into this and it felt pretty comfortable. I mean, we were all aware of the pressure of making a film of such a high-profile best-selling book, but I felt none of it. I didn?t have a lot of crowded scenes because I play the assassin. So, it?s either you on your own or you killing one other person. It felt like this small, independent movie, and I?ve been told that?s all that it?s going to be.

On Tom Hanks: He?s an entirely personable man. He?s very funny. He wants to come in and do his job, and he wants you to come in and do your job and have a giggle round the crossovers. One day I saw him writing something on his script with a pencil. I got a bit panicked because I thought he?s making notes and adding or changing things. So I said, ?You write notes? God, I must be doing it wrong.? And he said: ?No, you?re wrong. I usually do it pretty much as every writer says in the script, and they?re usually right but just because I want to show I?m contributing, I?ll move that comma...? So he?s really fun.

On the look: We didn?t go to the red eyes. We tried them and they were too disrupting. It?s something you can write about and then forget when you read it. But if you?re faced with it the whole time, you just spend three quarters of the film going, ?He?s got red eyes!? So we went with very, very pale pigment in the eyes, which is frankly more common with albinism. It?s not simply that albinism means that you?re white, and even if you try to achieve that, it?s a very difficult thing to achieve without ending up looking like you?re doing low theatre. So my make-up artiste finally came up with a process where she would cover my skin green and then put her mixture of off-white.

On his nude moments: Yes, it?s such a shock. Did I find it difficult? I always find it slightly difficult, especially when you want to look a certain way. I really wanted to look strong and I didn?t want to look like there was any sort of spare fat on me because I just thought given what we?ve just said, Silas is probably not the sort of man that eats cakes often. I doubt he celebrates his birthday.