Actor Paul Bettany reveals his lifelong love for Arsenal and praises boss Mikel Arteta

Sky Sports News

Paul Bettany on Arsenal: the Champions League should be the priority, and he praises Arteta

In this video, Arsenal fan and actor Paul Bettany and a guest discuss Arsenal's season, their Champions League ambitions and his lifelong support. Paul argues that the heavy defeat to Brighton may have been a useful wake-up call and says the Champions League should now be the priority; the guest believes Arsenal have the squad to win it and that Arteta needs European success to enhance his legacy. In a quickfire question, Paul picks Arteta over Wenger.

► Subscribe to Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWSkySportsYT Actor and Arsenal fan Paul Bettany joins Sky Sports News to discuss Arsenal's chances of winning the Champions League before reliving the Gunners' 2025/2026 title winning season. championsleague premierleague arsenal ► For the latest developments on this story: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/topstories ► For the latest transfer news: https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/TransferCentre More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsnews ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsNews ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage

Transcript

Now Arsenal continued their perfect start to the Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win over Leil last night. >> Yeah, certainly did. And joining us to debate that is the star of Marvel Television's Vision Quest. Big Arsenal fan as well, Paul Bettney. And you've brought on a special guest with you as well, the trophy. What a lineup this is. >> Welcome to the show. We are delighted to have you. Thank you so much for joining us. >> Thank you for having me. I feel really honored. No, I mean you don't usually have actors. Very kind. >> No, we are very excited. Um, look, we'll start with obviously Arsenal and how are you feeling about the season so far? Good start. >> Feeling great except for the slapping from Brighton, but I thought it was a it was a good slapping. You know, I thought that if it had been a 1 nil at the end of the game, you know, they might not have woken up. But I think it must be so hard to, you know, they're so young to keep them that focused, you know. I mean, I I know what I was doing at 20 and it wasn't being focused. So, you know, so um I think maybe it I'm an optimist so I'm hoping maybe that was a good thing. >> Maybe that's another >> maybe that's another show what you were doing at 20. >> Next, just tell us about how your love affair with with Arsenal Football Club began. Well, I was born in Hammersmith and then we moved to Wilsden and then Haldden. So, I probably should be a QPR fan, but then we moved north and um and then I don't know. I think my my when I first I was just saying I think it was the 89 88 89 season with you know David Roastel and Anna Smith and and um >> Are you sure? Are you sure it was not just last year because last year? I can tell you I I have I have been spending years getting my wife to be an Arsenal fan and I finally got her to be an Arsenal fan. I think because of the All or Nothing documentary and then we were I was working in London making this show that I'm selling right now at London last year and um we were she was we've been away from each other for a long time. We were going to have a romantic weekend in Paris, right? And so I I'd went to Paris on the train and I was so frightened to tell her we were going to watch the Arsenal game. And I was in my shirt and I was like I was sitting there. It was the Ritz, you know, and they put our names on the pillows and everything. Super romantic. But I was there in my Arsenal shirt. She opened the door and she came through in her shirt. >> Oh wow. Yeah. >> And so it was super Yeah, it actually was romantic. >> Oh, that is great. >> And the kids are Arsenal fans. My dog is an Arsenal fan. Well, yeah, we're gonna hear about gonna hear about Wallace. >> Yes, >> Wallace. We're gonna hear about Wallace in a little bit. Um, >> we were hearing today from um Mikuel Mourinho um was talking about Arsenal winning the quad quadruple and he genuinely believes it. Um let let's hear it now. >> The goal and and the objective is to to win the Champions League, to win the Premier League, to win everything. That's what the manager wants, what that's that's what the fans wants, and that's what we as players want as well. Do you believe you can do that? >> Absolutely. This is the the mentality. This is the end. We were so so close last season. Um and that proved us that we are ready uh for it and now it's about details about being present and ready in the in the right moments and of course we we believe that. >> Look Paul of course it was a long wait for the title in the Premier League. Is the priority now Champions League? >> I think it has to be. I think I think I I I'm not good with facts and figures, but I think we are the team that's played most minutes in Champions League and never won. So, I really think that'll put that debate to bed. Is Yeah, that's my focus anyway. But I hope he's right. You know, >> it's a good stat. >> Yeah, it's a good stat. >> Coming from from a former Chelsea player, he likes that one. Jimmy, I just want to ask you on that actually because they came agonizingly close last season. They ended the 22-year weight for the Premier League title, of course, but do you believe that they can make that final step and win the Champions League? Because the last three seasons has been quarterfinal, semi-finals, runner up. The next step is going on to win it. Are they your pick? >> Uh, I don't know if they're my pick, but they have got the team to do it. Um, no, they have got the squad to do it, I must say. uh they're stronger than last year, they're more experienced, they've won the Premier League, so they have more confidence. Um and they were ever so close, you know, last year. So, um I think they can do it. They you with with the Championship, you need that little bit of luck, >> you know, you need that little bit of momentum. For Arteta, it's it's very very important for his legacy and his uh now to go further. You need to still be dominant in England. That's your bread and butter. >> But you now need to bring European success. >> I just realized my fingers were crossed on. >> I actually noticed that >> sitting there. Oh, >> that's come. But for now, we've got more from our special guest today is actor and big Arsenal fan Paul Bettney. Right. Okay. Firstly, we want to know what it is like being an Arsenal fan when you're living on the other side of the world. >> Well, it's much easier now. I mean, back in the old days. Okay. So, when I was making Wimbledon, uh that was the Invincles year and I just had a child while we were making Wimbledon. We moved back to New York and you had to go to a pub at like 7:30 in the morning and drink beer. My wife frowned on that. So, yeah. So, now it's it's really easy and and there's a great pub just down the road from me called the uh Fancy Free and it's a and Spike Lee's there. I mean, it's hard to get in cuz it's a scene cuz Spike Lee's there and I look like I've had a couple of beers already in that picture. >> Yeah. Ju just give us an insight into that. Tell us about the actual match day experience when you're supporting Arsenal out there in the states. Is it a shared experience with loads of other Arsenal fans as well? >> Yes, and also I mean look most mostly it's in my house and me doing Thierry on re slides on the carpet and and texting all my friends and facetiming with my kids who are in different parts of the world and um but when we when we uh get to where oh that was that was the man you beat us that day. That was um the friendly. That's the when Tim Bour is ACL. Um and uh >> memories. >> Yeah, memories. Terrible memory. Um but it's lovely. It's it's lovely with my family. So like for most people, I guess it's in front of a television or I'm at the pub. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Take us back to May. I'm sure you don't mind doing that. The 22-year wait for that Premier League title came to an end. Here's Micotta to celebrating that. What was that like and what are your memories of of that moment when the Premier League title was secured? >> I got I got I really I got really emotional. I you know I mean I I was on I was on my knees watching the television you know and just begging begging begging and then when when do you mean the trophy lift or when we >> No, cuz it was it was actually when Bournemouth drew city wasn't it? I was like just like pleading and pleading, you know, for for for it to happen. And it was it was lovely. I was, you know, my wife was with me, my daughter was with me who's a big she's she plays center back at her school and so she's uh yeah, it was an it was an amazing time and it was it was and just filled with relief actually is how I felt. >> We know that your family are fans as well, but obviously you know it's not always been trophy lifts for Arsenal. So, have you had to teach them a bit about the history? >> Yes. Uh, and I think I mentioned this earlier, but I think it was the All or Nothing documentary that made my wife fall in love with Arsenal and specifically Arteta, which is fair enough, >> you know, difficult for me, but I understand it. >> So, >> and then what about we obviously Arsenal have got Win the Dog, but your family's Wallace the dog. >> We have Wallace the dog. >> Wow. Number 10. She's a huge fan. Although she's not a fan of that shirt cuz it got too tight for her. >> Okay. All right, Wallace. Bit more training. >> Exactly. >> I I just when we were off fair, I was asking you about Wimbledon. And I want to ask you about that because you played many roles in your career. >> One of the biggest was that one. Here we go. Peter Colt >> at Wimbledon, the film Wimbledon. How was that as an experience and to film in such an iconic sporting venue? Can you give us an insight into what how you actually did that all of that? >> Yeah, we shot during we shot after but we also shot during the championship which was incredibly humiliating because you had a real crowd watching you play tennis and sometimes imaginary tennis because when we were doing the complicated if if it was just me I was hitting a ball but if we were doing a complicated choreography with two players it was an imaginary ball. So, hold on. If you were doing an imaginary hit, were you doing a grunt as well? >> Yes, of course I was. I'm a professional. >> And I'll tell you, I've won Wimbledon 36 times and I've spent more hours on that court on center court than Roger Fed all of them put together. >> And where is my membership to the Wimbledon? >> Yeah. And all very realistic as well because that's the match referee. Alan Mills, is it? Yeah, if I remember correctly. >> Yeah. And there you are. >> Yeah, it was a grand time. and my son was born. >> You got to answer these with the first thing that comes into your head. Are you ready? Paul Bettin, are you ready? >> Yeah, kind of. >> Right. Here we go. >> Favorite Arsenal player of all time. >> Ian Wright. Ian Wright. >> Okay. Who's your >> I just love him. >> Who's your sporting hero? >> Tierry Henry. >> Okay. Okay. Right. And Henry, we're getting a theme here. If you could play one sporting figure in a film or series, who would it be? >> Peter Cult the senior years. >> Good. >> Do Peter Cult on the on the senior tour playing Mackenroe in the final? >> Um, Mikuel Artetta or Arson Wenger. >> I know. >> That's like Sophie's choice. >> Sorry. >> Can I wait to see if we win the Champions League? No, this is quickfire. >> Oh, that's terri That's just terrible. I I I'm going to have to go just cuz I don't want him to lose confidence. I'm going to have to go with Artetta. >> Oh, wow. >> Oh, wow. >> Oh, that was not going to be pleased. >> That's a harsh question. >> Oh, who is your dream signing for Arsenal? >> Harland. >> Any chance of getting him? Maybe we won't go there. Oh no, that has been great. It has been so lovely to have you on the show. Thank you so much for coming and seeing us. >> Thank you for having me. >> And we wish you all the best with Vision Quest. Looks amazing. Thank you so