Fighting father Paul Bettany

20 January 2009

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Paul Bettany has been teaching his children to fight bullies.

The worried 'Inkheart' star - who raises two kids with his wife, actress Jennifer Connelly - wanted to make sure his step-son Kai, 11, could defend himself at school.

He said: "You get taught how to be bullied, essentially, in England. I was so worried about it, I tried to teach my eldest how to punch the day before he went to school."

You get taught how to be bullied, essentially, in England

However, Paul's American actress wife wasn't so thrilled with her husband's pre-school training.

The 37-year-old actor told US TV talk show host Conan O'Brien: "My wife caught me, and she said, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'I'm teaching him how to punch.' 'Why?' Because he's going to school, obviously!' "

Despite his step-father's best efforts, Kai - Jennifer's son from a previous relationship - was still targeted at school.

Paul explained: "The next day I stopped outside the school in some weird stakeout. I said, 'Point him out! Which one did it to you?' He said, 'That one.' But there were like a million kids out front. I said, 'Which one? The one with the long hair?' He goes, 'That one...the one with the cello.' I said, 'The one with the cello? You're fine. Get out of the car.' "

Jennifer and Paul also have a five-year-old son Stellan.

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