The couple had a bit of a whirlwind romance until their engagement, and have been together for almost two decades now.
So many young men have crushes on actresses while growing up, but how many of them are lucky to have their crush become their reality? It sounds like the plot of a movie but it is a reality for a famous Hollywood couple: Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.
The Hulk actress had started working really young in life when she became a child model. Her first film was Once Upon a Time in America in 1984, which is how her now-husband actor Bettany came to have a crush on the beautiful actress. Years later, in 2001, when they met on the set of A Beautiful Mind, there was a spark between the two. However, their romance didn't start until the film wrapped up.
"I remember meeting him at the first read-through," Connelly, 48, told Entertainment Tonight. "I thought, ‘Hmm, he’s really good that guy'," she said. The Wimbledon actor was also struck by her beauty. "I’ve never been this close to someone that beautiful before. I remember thinking, 'I bet every man you ever met has tried to flirt with you'," he said.
The Avengers actor told Kelly Ripa on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan that he never got around to telling her that he had a crush on her all his life before they got married. He joked that he assumed he only has three to six months before she saw through his British accent. In a self-deprecating manner, he told her that while Connelly had studied at Stanford University he had dropped out of school at 16. But the actress revealed that it was not his accent she fell for, but another skill.
"He started playing guitar and it was all over," she admitted, adding that the guitar won her over. However, that was not what propelled them towards getting engaged. They dated briefly before deciding to do that and what helped them make up their mind was an event that affected the entire world: the attack of 9/11.
Bettany told Larry King that he was in Tuscany, Italy, buying groceries when he saw the report about the attacks on a TV at a storefront. His immediate thought was to call her and he tried to get through to her on the phone for two days before he was able to. During the time, he wondered why he was so frantic only to realize that he was in love with her.
When he did finally get her on the phone, he told her, "I'm coming over, let's get married." She said, "Okay." They eventually married in 2003 and have two kids, Stellan and Agnes Lark – the Labyrinth actress also has a son, Kai, from a previous marriage, according to People.
The couple has been married for 16 years now and has collaborated professionally as well on a film called Shelter and other projects. "I feel very creatively aligned with him," Connelly said. "We are drawn to similar types of films and filmmaking," she added.
When she was featured in the magazine Town & Country, she revealed the private dynamics of her relationship with her husband. “I’m more reserved. I can be kind of shy in a group,” Connelly, said, adding that Bettany was more charming. "I mean, I manage it pretty well, but he’s much more outgoing than I am," said the actress.
Their attitudes might be different but the opposites complement each other perfectly. They support each other through their work and are a happy little family living in Brooklyn, New York.
References:
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/news/a3162/jenniferconnelly/
https://people.com/movies/jennifer-connelly-reveals-how-husband-paul-bettany-won-her-heart/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgF_JAtHHm0
