Jennifer Connelly on Being Directed by Husband Paul Bettany: It Didn't Quite Live Up to the Fantasy

Du Jour cover girl tells the mag that she had visions of herself and her hubby of 11 years hashing out scenes together on the set of Shelter, but...not so much

By Natalie Finn Mar 07, 2014 1:37 AMTags
Jennifer Connelly, Paul BettanySteve Sands/Getty Images

Jennifer Connelly went home with her director every night—but that's no surprise, considering the cuddly chemistry between the pair on the set.

The director in question being her husband, Paul Bettany, of course.

"It was kind of strange, going to work in the morning with the director," the DuJour cover girl says in the magazine's April 2014 issue about working with first-time filmmaker Bettany on the drama Shelter, in which she plays one half of a homeless couple who fall in love on the streets of New York. "But it really seemed to come quite naturally to him—phew—and it was an amazing experience to have had together."

Amazing, yes, but still not quite what she envisioned being directed by her hubby of 11 years would be like.

"I had this fantasy that we'd talk about scenes all day," Connelly recalls. "In reality, if the man sat down, there was a line of people wanting to talk to him. Since we moved so quickly, I think he felt his wife was the least of his worries."

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Besides, the couple were already pros in the working-together department, having both starred in A Beautiful Mind (for which Connelly won an Oscar), Margin CallInkheart and Creation. They also have collaborated on three children, 10-year-old son Stellan and 2-year-old daughter Agnes, and Connelly's son Kai, 16, from a previous relationship.

Connelly, currently on the big screen in Winter's Tale, has reteamed with Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky for his big-budget Biblical epic Noah, in which she plays the wife of Russell Crowe's Genesis-era ark builder.

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Which is funny, because the raven-haired beauty isn't a big fan of boats.

"I would not want to be on a cruise ship," Connelly told DuJour. "Some ferry crossings I'm not too thrilled about. But this is a very different circumstance. If it's 'get on the vessel or perish with the rest of humanity,' I'd be happy to be invited aboard."

Preferably paired with her real-life first mate, of course.