Image source: Paul Dano’s IMDB
People often perceive acting as script-memorizing and line delivery, but the art of acting goes beyond lines, as many great individuals in movies and television have shown. While many actors have received praise and advanced in their careers to live such high-profile lives, few exceptions prefer to live quietly. Paul Dano is a talent who has managed to not only land roles but perform exceptionally well in each one while maintaining a low profile.
Paul Dano was born in New City to a businessman and his housewife. Growing up, Dano would move from the East Side of Manhattan before moving to the suburbs. Being a financial adviser, his father was often busy, and Dano and his sister would be raised under his mother’s watch. Moving to the suburbs would spark his interest in acting, taking part in the community theater after school.
Eventually, the young actor started attracting people’s attention, and he got an invitation to join a regional play in Connecticut. From there, his craft would continue to develop. When Dano was around twelve years old, he made his Broadway debut, participating in Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee’s ‘Inherit the Wind.’ The debut paved the way to roles on the small screen, earning his television debut on The Sopranos.
Five years later, Paul Dano starred alongside Brian Cox for the movie ‘L.I.E.’ The role was a wake-up call, and Dano started to worry about getting too caught up in celebrity life. Opting to distance himself, the young actor pursued college, majoring in English. However, Dano would not stay long and dropped out to return to acting.
Upon his return, Dano took a different approach to his acting methods. While not necessarily calling himself a method actor, Paul Dano’s practice brings him to the edge of method acting, letting his body speak louder for him than delivering his lines. The best example for his practice comes from his breakthrough role in the film Little Miss Sunshine. Empathizing with his character, Dano received praises alongside his co-stars for their performance.
In the years that followed, Paul Dano would continue landing roles that required him to play people who were somewhat disassociated from everyone else. Starring in the drama ‘There Will Be Blood!’ earned him a BAFTA nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the twin brothers Eli & Paul Sunday. Dano would return to his roots and participate in several Broadway productions.
Along the road, he met his current partner, Zoe Kazan. By 2012, the couple starred in the romantic comedy-drama ‘Ruby Sparks,’ with Kazan serving as the writer and titular character acting opposite Dano. Paul Dano would continue taking roles for movies that earned awards, with his performances earning high praises and several nominations. He would make his directorial debut in 2018 with the movie Wildlife. Kazan co-wrote the screenplay based on the Richard Novel of the same name. The film was met with positive reviews, with Dano winning the Torino Film Festival’s Best Feature Film category.
Since then, Paul Dano has been busy filming for the upcoming Matt Reeves film The Batman, where he will be portraying a different incarnation of the criminal mastermind, The Riddler. Additionally, he has joined the ensemble in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming autobiographical project, where he has been pegged to play the director’s father in his formative years.
References:
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/paul-dano-43657.php
https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/paul-dano/bio/3000385770/
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/18/paul-dano-acting-love-war-and-peace
