HERE'S a tip: Don't go near actor Paul Bettany if you're feeling even the slightest bit insecure about yourself, because this man sums up the phrase ''having it all''.

Good looks, a thriving career, a bouncing baby boy and married to one of Hollywood's most beautiful actresses - no wonder he can't stop grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat.

Refreshingly though, the down-to-earth star isn't taking any of it too seriously.

Ask him what it's like being married to stunning actress Jennifer Connelly and he quips: "It's changed my whole life and the reason for that is she's actually enormously plain to look at, and when we're walking down the street and I see people staring at us, I know that they're thinking 'how did she snare him? So, marrying her was a sort of charitable thing," he laughs.

You can't blame 33-year-old Bettany for seeing the funny side of everything at the moment. It wasn't that long ago that the Harlesden-born star was battling a drug problem and trying to eek out a living busking on the streets of London.

Now, he's one of Britain's most successful young actors, thanks to his scene-stealing performances in A Knight's Tale, Master and Commander and the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind.

It's been a heady rise to fame and fortune and, not surprisingly, there's been more than a few ''pinch-yourself moments'' for the talented actor.

"Yeah, I do worry that people are going to come and take everything away," he admits.

It's highly unlikely, as Paul is not only one of the most versatile actors around today, he's also one of the most committed. He's renowned for going that extra mile with a role, such as baring his very impressive naked torso in A Knight's Tale, proving he can be as menacing as he can be funny in the chilling Gangster Number 1 and even becoming an expert cello player in Master and Commander.

But it's for his latest film that the 6ft 3in star has really excelled. He's transformed himself into a very convincing champion tennis player for the new movie Wimbledon.

In the film, he appears as a fading tennis player who is given one more shot at competing in Wimbledon, and that meant the star - who readily admits he's useless at sport - had to really shape up.

"I think my PE teachers will be entirely shocked by the whole idea of me doing this because I'm not driven by sport at all," he confides.

The man responsible for getting him on the ball - quite literally - was none other than former Wimbledon champ Pat Cash, who put Paul through his paces over a gruelling four-month training period.

"After he got over his initial glee of firing shots at me at about 135mph and then just laughing as I got ineptly hit in the face by the ball, he became incredibly patient," explains Paul.

Not surprisingly, the film gave Paul a new-found respect for players, but it hasn't persuaded him to become the next Tim Henman.

"I just can't imagine dedicating my life to that," he says, looking exhausted at the thought.

"These people stay fit for so long. I squared it in my head by thinking, 'I've got 10 months of eating boiled chicken, I can get through 10 months'. But there's no way I could get through my life like that."

Not only was the film a challenge for Paul on the fitness front, it was also his first romantic lead. His character falls in love with American female tennis champ Lizzie Bradbury, played by Kirsten Dunst, and Paul happily admits he couldn't wait to confirm his new-found romantic leading man status.

"I've never done a romantic comedy before so I thought it would be a challenge, but the real challenge was the tennis. The falling in love bit, well, that was the easy part," he smiles.

Off-screen, Paul only has eyes for one woman, his wife of almost two years, Jennifer. They met on the set of A Beautiful Mind, married a year later and have a one-year-old son, Stellan.

Though the couple haven't worked together since their marriage, Paul says he'd love to team up on the big screen again - with one stipulation.

"We'd have to play a couple who hate each other," he states. "Because it's a bit like rich people who win the Lottery, it's not the greatest story in the world. So, if you're in love, it's a bit like you're rubbing your in-loveness in everyone's face. People would be gunning for you."

Paul loves being left to hold the baby.

"Stellan's wonderful. I'd love six kids now," he smiles. "They make you feel like a proper human being. They make you feel good about yourself.

"I tell you what happened recently. Jennifer was working on a film upwards of 12 hours a day and I was looking after the baby. She would come home after a hard day at work and I could tell she needed comforting and needed to talk like an adult. And I just couldn't do it. I just had an impulse to sing The wheels on the bus go round and round at her," he says, flashing that Cheshire Cat grin again. "It's fantastic."

Clearly a case of ''love all'' for the besotted star.