Paul Bettany’s First Film, About a Homeless New York Couple

Actor Paul Bettany discusses “Shelter,” the first film he wrote and directed. The movie centers around the lives of Hannah and Tahir who come from two different worlds, but are now both homeless on the streets of New York.

Bettany told Leonard that his inspiration for the film came when he realized that a homeless couple he passed by everyday began to feel invisible to him. He also talked about moments of discomfort while directing the film’s star, his wife, Jennifer Connelly, as she pushed needles into her arm and performed what Bettany called “sexually humiliating scenes.”