Paul Dano is one of the great character actors of our time. From his breakout role as Dwayne the elective mute teenager and wannabe pilot in Little Miss Sunshine to fiery preacher Eli (and his identical twin Paul) in There Will Be Blood, awkward Pierre Bezukhov in BBC One’s War and Peace and brutal John Tibeats in 12 Years a Slave, the breadth and depth of the collected oddballs, psychopaths and misfits he has played is impressive. Each fully rounded, fully developed – and fully inhabited by the actor.
Then came The Batman, last year’s box-office saviour (alongside Top Gun: Maverick). Dano, for so long an indie darling, stepped into the blockbuster spotlight in style as The Riddler, a psychopathic loner influencer.
Now, Dano begins 2023 in another is an origins story for a whole different cinematic superhero – the tale of how writer-director Steven Spielberg found his love for the movies and storytelling.
