It’s always odd to see one of the cinema’s few self-described atheists in religious garb. But something about Paul Bettany says monk ("The Reckoning,” "The Da Vinci Code”) or archangel ("Legion,” which opens today).

"Were I playing Prometheus, I wouldn’t necessarily feel the need to believe in Zeus,” he jokes. "But I don’t know why these fellows keep coming my way. It isn’t in any way planned. And there’s a wide gap between an avenging angel and Charles Darwin.”

This month, Bettany will be starring in movies opposite himself. In "Legion,” he’s the archangel Michael, coming to Earth to help folks in a remote diner survive an assault from God’s avenging angels. And in the limited release "Creation,” he’s Charles Darwin, in love with a devoutly religious wife (Jennifer Connelly, Mrs. Bettany) but working out his Theory of Evolution and his relationship with her and his faith.

"When I’m making a movie as Charles Darwin, I’m sitting in my trailer, hankering to run around shooting vampires. And when I’m battling vampires (as in "Priest,” which opens this fall) I think, ‘It would be awfully nice to be in something nice and quiet with a lot of talking in it.’ I’m quite shallow that way.”

So just as his turn as the dashing politician Lord Melbourne, favorite of Queen Victoria, in "The Young Victoria,” leaves theaters, he dons wings and takes on "Legion.”

"It’s a fun thing to play because he’s an angel who has the courage of his convictions. He defies his boss. And he’s got quite the boss to defy, doesn’t he? I do a movie like ‘Legion’ because I want to see an audience’s popcorn jump up in the air! I loved seeing those movies growing up. ‘Dawn of the Dead’ sticks with me. What a thrill, this siege with just a handful of people, trapped in a shopping mall, battling an onslaught of zombies. ‘Legion’ is just like that, without zombies. The (computer-generated imagery) guys put wings on me, and once you’ve got wings, the rest is easy!”

Playing Darwin

"‘Creation’ is a very unusual look at the life of a hero of mine. There haven’t been many films about Darwin. But Darwin is not the controversial figure in England he seems to be in America. He’s a national treasure. I mean, he’s been on the back of the 10 pound note!”

Bettany earned some of the best reviews of his career when "Creation” played in Britain. But he is more than happy to jolt viewers’ popcorn as a warrior priest or archangel.

"People go to see ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to weep over dead people on stage at the end and thank God you’re alive …You go see ‘2012’ to see the world destroyed, but you still get to leave the theater, get in a cab, and go home and feel relief at that vicarious thrill. I love providing that thrill, when I can.”

McClatchy-Tribune

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