Paul Dano
Tags: Little Miss Sunshine, Paul Dano, LIE, Cowboys and Aliens, Being Flynn, Robert DeNiro, Knight and Day
Paul Dano has been one of the most interesting actors to watch in the last 10 years. He’s done several hard hitting indie dramas like L.I.E. and The Ballad of Jack and Rose, and that famous “I’ve abandoned my child” scene in There Will Be Blood. His youthful face has kept him in teen comedies, dramas and dramedies, from The Emperor’s Club to The Girl Next Door.
It was probably Little Miss Sunshine that made viewers learn his name. Stuck in the van with Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette and little Abigail Breslin, Dano played the older brother who just wanted to join the air force. Since then he’s popped up in big studio movies like Knight & Day and Cowboys & Aliens.
Currently, Dano stars in Being Flynn, based on author Nick Flynn’s memoir Another Bullshit Night In Suck City. Dano plays Nick, then an aspiring author volunteering at a homeless shelter. His estranged father Jonathan (Robert DeNiro) comes back into his life and even shows up at the homeless shelter. Jonathan Flynn left before his wife Jody (Julianne Moore) killed herself, a suicide Nick believes he caused with a short story he wrote. Guilt, homelessness and even falling into drugs himself makes Nick a very juicy role for Dano.
Dano gave us some time to speak with him when he visited Los Angeles with the film. Though I’ve been watching him for a decade this was actually the first time I met him in my Hollywood career, although for all this time I’ve been saying his name wrong. I learned the correct pronunciation of Dano after hearing all of the Focus Features staff refer to him all day. Good thing I didn’t make a “Book ‘em, Dano” joke because that’s not how it’s pronounced.
Suicide Girls: So it’s Day-no?
Paul Dano: It is.
SG:
I apologize. I have been saying it wrong all this time.
PD:
You know, I think there’s a lot of people out there who say it wrong. It doesn’t really bother me.
SG:
You’re able to tackle a lot of tough material. What is your connection to these subjects?
PD:
I guess I like to feel challenged. That’s sort of what makes me want to work hard more than the paycheck or something. I really like what I do and I’m really inspired by people who do it well so I think I just like to feel that rush of fear, like I know I can do this but I don’t totally know how. That’s just the kind of thing that gets me out of bed as opposed to something else.
SG:
I like movies that deal with tough issues in a good way. Do you have a sense of what the right way is?
PD:
I don't know. I guess once you’ve chosen to take on a part, it’s amazing how the horse blinders come on for me and I think for a lot of people. There’s nothing that you really start thinking about except what is best for this character, how am I going to become him. What can I bring to it, how can I get away from myself, how am I going to set myself up to do the best job on the day and what kind of prep do I need to do? I don’t make a conscious effort to do anything else but that.
SG:
Do you gravitate towards characters who are very different from yourself?
PD:
I think so. Obviously there’s something in me that can relate, empathize, connect, whatever, with the characters I play but I definitely feel like when I think about some of them, I’m really nothing like them. Nick’s situation, I really am moved by and I identify with certain aspects but the fact that I’m not a big drinker, I don’t like doing drugs, but that’s a turn-on that this guy does. Why? Why does a person do that? And sort of getting into that world. I’m sure there are either themes to some of these characters you’re referring to or there’s always a personal connection without a doubt.
SG:
I ask in the interest of trying to understand what you like.
PD:
I guess I do like conflicted characters. Inner conflict to me just is attractive as an actor. It gives you something to really struggle with, to really sink your teeth into. It gives you something emotional, it gives you something psychological and I just like that. I like that. I don't know why. If I was just asked to play myself, I think I’d get really bored quickly. I don’t wanna do that. And if I was asked to just play one note in some of these more bland films, I’d just get bored. It’s not fun.
SG:
I would have assumed you weren’t an addict, but I didn’t know you don’t care for drinking anyway.
PD:
No, I like to have a glass of wine. I drink. I have other ways of being self-destructive I’m sure but that’s not my main way of doing it.
SG:
So how do you give that authenticity to the performance without having experienced it?
PD:
Especially with this film, look, for me one thing that was important was to understand a guy like this emotionally. Why do you self-destruct? Why do you end up passing out in a stairwell with a crackpipe? That’s I think really interesting and I think there’s an emotional psychological reason behind it and that’s what makes me able to get there. I did not go and actually smoke crack. You’re tempted to. You’re tempted, oh, should I actually try this? You want to be a committed actor but you don’t need to actually. Sometimes you do. You’ve got to put some things into practice.
SG:
That one would be illegal though.
PD:
No, you know, some things you have to put into practice but really the addiction aspect for Nick, I did not want to be the stereotypical druggie guy and I don't think most of these people are. There’s a lot of people who are addicts of some kind out there who are normal people who are going to work every day and who are having a bad time alone at night. I did not want to do this grandiose addict thing. That’s not who this guy was I don't think. So I did my research, talked to people who have had this problem and read about it and then tried to understand who Nick was as best I could.
SG:
So you went inside out, you didn’t start with the symptoms?
PD:
You do both. You need to know what the external is but I think the reasons for Nick turning to those things was he was coping with this crazy issue of his father being a homeless man in the homeless shelter that he works at. His father is a lunatic writer. Nick wants to be a writer. Is he gonna end up like his father? Did he kill his mother? So he’s got a lot of reasons that he is trying to defuse his inner state. So it makes perfect sense. It just gives you the reason why you’re going to that. But the first thing I think I did for this was actually I’ve gotta get to the shelter and get out
there. So you do inside and outside.
there. So you do inside and outside.
SG:
Had you ever volunteered at a shelter before this movie?
PD:
No. When I was a kid growing up in New York I think at school we had to do, I think we did a soup kitchen thing
but that was through school. I don't think I had and I think in high school I delivered some stuff sometimes from a grocery store to a place. That’s something my parents did so every now and then I would do a drop off for them. But no, aside from that and a couple little things.
but that was through school. I don't think I had and I think in high school I delivered some stuff sometimes from a grocery store to a place. That’s something my parents did so every now and then I would do a drop off for them. But no, aside from that and a couple little things.
SG:
I admire that because I’m sensitive to the homeless situation but don’t think I could emotionally handle getting hands on.
PD:
You know what, it was a pretty great experience. Especially what I said about most of these people, there’s a lot more normal people than you think who are homeless and that was really eye opening for me. Talking to people and going my God, sometimes you’re not that far from it. You just don’t know it. There’s people who are three months homeless or three weeks homeless and you go geez, wow. You just lost your job and you couldn’t [keep up.] Stuff happens. And you have your people who are crazy or addicts. It was a pretty great experience and we’re going to do some screenings I think for shelters to raise some money, so that’ll be nice coming up in a few weeks.
SG:
Living in New York, do you give money to beggars?
PD:
Yeah. If I have change in my pocket, I usually give it to somebody. I especially give it to the people who are working for it. I take the subway every day almost and you have your people who might sing or play guitar or do a dance. Yeah, if I’ve got change, I will give it. Growing up I remember being affected by the image of the homeless when I was very young. Then as you grow older, you start to rationalize that and get used to that image. In some ways it becomes a part of your life. You’re in New York, the same thing here in L.A. This was definitely a nice experience to have my eyes reopened to the issue and also just to understand the personal element. They’re real people and a lot of them are more like you than you know.
SG:
When you do roles in Cowboys & Aliens or Knight and Day are those really aggressive auditions?
PD:
It depends. Sometimes you might get offered a part. Sometimes you have to go through the process to get it. Some of them are super competitive. It just depends.
SG:
You’ve played several young characters or high school that a lot of people relate to. Were you popular in high school?
PD:
I think I did all right. Yeah, I had a lot of friends. Some people had a really tough time in high school. I had a great time in high school I also had a tough time in high school but I had a great time. I look back on it fondly and I had some great, great friends and I have some good memories so I think I was all right.
SG:
Have your young features been a helpful tool as an actor?
PD:
I don't know. I guess if that’s what the part is, maybe. I’m not sure. Yeah, sure, I think it’ll be a good thing ultimately.
SG:
Was there a moment where you felt: I am an established actor?
PD:
I do remember starting to get recognized for the first time and how sort of horrible that was. It was definitely shocking and weird but no, I don’t really think about that too much.
SG:
What were you being recognized from?
PD:
I think when Little Miss Sunshine came out I started getting recognized and it was weird. You get used to
it and it can be a nice thing sometimes but that’s not the impetus to try and be a successful actor for me. I could do without it.
it and it can be a nice thing sometimes but that’s not the impetus to try and be a successful actor for me. I could do without it.
SG:
Was there a moment you thought: Yeah, I’m good?
PD:
Yeah, I think I’m doing all right. I would not try to keep doing this if I didn’t think I had something to offer.
Being Flynn opens March 2 in limited release.
Being Flynn opens March 2 in limited release.
Featured Interviews
All interviews
