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The newest Batman live-action movie has a talented cast overall but one of the names that stand out is Paul Dano's Riddler, the movie's main villain. It's not the first time Dano has appeared in a big movie in a prominent role, but The Batman could still kickstart his career in a new direction. The good news for all those who want to see more of the talented actor is that Paul Dano has done his fair share of well-rated movies even before The Batman.
Born in New York in 1984, Dano started his professional acting career in 1998 and became well-known eight years later. To this day, Paul Dano has appeared in multiple movies and TV series of different genres. Some of his best work deserves even more recognition than it had already gotten from the audience.
5 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Road movies are a popular genre, even more so when they create characters whose journey the viewers are personally invested. Little Miss Sunshine manages to do just that. The heroes, a family full of extraordinary people, go on a trip to take Olive (Abigail Breslin) to a beauty pageant. Over the course of the journey, they grow closer, experience loss, and also learn more about themselves. The movie mixes drama and comedy and does so in a way that feels natural.
The actors all give strong performances, including the likes of Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, and Alan Arkin. Paul Dano, for whom this movie was his breakout role, is memorable as Dwayne, Olive's older brother who spends a better part of the movie silent. Despite not talking, Dano plays with his eyes and face just as convincingly. By the time he actually speaks, the audience has already gotten to know his character pretty well.
4 12 Years A Slave (2013)
2013 was a good year for Paul Dano as he appeared in multiple critically-acclaimed movies that the audience also enjoyed. 12 Years a Slave is based on real events and chronicles the long journey of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a man who has to cross many obstacles on his path to freedom. The movie doesn't spare Solomon, as well as other characters, which makes it that much easier to cheer them on and wish them success.
The story also delves deep into the behavior of people and how evil/cruel they can be. Paul Dano plays the plantation carpenter John Tibeats, who tries to kill Solomon. Even on a smaller space, Dano leaves a strong impression - despite the fact (or maybe because of it) how despicable his character is.
3 Prisoners (2013)
Just like almost all actors, Paul Dano doesn't always play the leading parts. That doesn't make his performances any less impressive, though. Prisoners focuses on a man whose daughter goes missing, and he spirals more and more out of control as he's looking for the person responsible. The dark drama mixed with thriller will keep the audience hooked to the very end, not just because of its story but also thanks to the talented cast.
Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal star in the leading roles, but Paul Dano has an equally important role as he plays Alex Jones, the man Jackman's Keller Dover suspects of kidnapping his daughter. Whether Alex is the person responsible or not is one of the multiple mysteries the movie creates.
2 There Will Be Blood (2007)
Paul Dano is one of the younger actors, so it's easy to forget one of his career-defining roles came fifteen years ago. And it was alongside one of the greatest actors of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis. In this complex and dark drama, Day-Lewis and Dano star as two men working together, and their complex relationship is one of the major themes in the movie. It's made even more complicated by the fact that Day-Lewis's character Daniel isn't such a good guy.
The movie presented a challenge for Dano since he portrays identical twins, Paul Sunday and Eli Sunday, who are, of course, both different, but Dano excels in both parts. He was nominated for the BAFTA for this movie and even though he didn't win, There Will Be Blood remains one of the finest examples of Dano's wide acting range.
1 The Batman (2022)
Many people believe that one of the best roles any actor can get is that of a villain in a superhero movie. If they leave a strong enough impression, they can become just as big and popular among the fans as the actors who play the superheroes. Paul Dano's chilling performance as the Riddler in The Batman could very well be one of them
Even though Dano's face doesn't appear on the screen as often as the viewers might initially expect, he easily steals every scene he appears in for himself. It's not the first time the Riddler appeared in a live-action movie. Dano's portrayal of him couldn't possibly be more different from Jim Carrey's turn as the Riddler in the 1995 movie Batman Forever.