Quentin Tarantino has said a lot of wild things, but calling Paul Dano the “weakest actor in SAG” might be the funniest plot twist of his career outside of directing a short for Fortnite. The internet, correctly revolted, because if there’s a single unproblematic hill cinephiles will die on, it’s that Paul Dano is very good at his job and turned in some stellar performances over the years.
Across two decades, he’s quietly built the kind of filmography most actors would sell their souls for: precise, fearless, emotionally feral when he wants to be and disarmingly gentle when he doesn’t. He doesn’t need to go big to dominate a scene; he just turns up, tilts his head, adjusts his voice, and suddenly everyone else looks like they’re doing GCSE Drama.
So here it is: the definitive countdown of Paul Dano performances. From masterclasses to subtle performances and no "weak sauce" in sight. It's pretty impressive for the "worst actor in SAG".
9. Dumb Money (2023)
In this sharp, satirical look at the GameStop stock saga, Dano flexes his comedic muscles as a finance insider caught in the chaos of the meme-stock frenzy amongst a truly stacked cast. His timing is impeccable, balancing wit and exasperation in a way that proves he can land laughs just as well as he can convey drama.
8. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Before the world knew him as Eli Sunday or Alex Jones, Dano was the painfully earnest Dwayne in this indie classic. He’s mute for most of the film, communicating everything through expression, posture, and that deadpan scowl that could curdle milk.
It’s a small role, but the emotional weight he carries adds depth to the ensemble. Dano proves early on that he doesn’t need dialogue to dominate a scene; he simply is the character. A quiet, masterful reminder that talent doesn’t always shout.
7. Wildlife (2018)
Dano’s directorial debut is a masterstroke, but his small on-screen appearance deserves some love, too. He slips into the film with the same precision he brings behind the camera, grounding a story about a family quietly ripping apart in 1960s Montana.
His directing is restrained, elegant and devastating, and the performance is cut from the same emotional fabric. It’s the closest you get to seeing how Dano sees the world.
6. Swiss Army Man (2016)
Yes, this is the farting corpse movie. Yes, Paul Dano is astonishing in it. As Hank, a man stranded with only a dead boy-band-looking Daniel Radcliffe for company, he delivers one of his most vulnerable, open-hearted turns.
He takes a deeply surreal premise and turns it into something moving, messy and human. It’s the moment the world went: “Oh, right… Dano can literally do anything.”
5. Love & Mercy (2014)
Young Brian Wilson is a nearly impossible role, genius, paranoia, inspiration and decline rolled into one, yet Dano plays it with haunting clarity.
You see the creativity bursting out of him, the anxiety creeping in, the joy and terror of being inside a brilliant but fragile mind. Paired with John Cusack’s older Wilson, it becomes one of the most complete portrayals of an artist ever put on screen.
4. The Batman (2022)
Terrifying, trembling, painfully believable. Dano’s Riddler is one of the great modern comic-book villains because he refuses to go theatrical. Instead, he plays him as a lonely extremist whose ideology curdles into violence.
The interrogation scene with Pattinson is pure electricity, a man desperate to be understood, unravelling mid-sentence, eyes flickering like faulty CCTV. It's the kind of performance that stays with you longer than the explosions.
3. The Fabelmans (2022)
![The Fabelmans | Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/D1G2iLSzOe8/maxresdefault.jpg)
Dano brings depth and warmth to Burt Fabelman, the loving but flawed father in Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film. He perfectly balances guidance, frustration, and vulnerability, giving the film an emotional anchor that elevates the story and keeps audiences fully invested in the family’s journey.
2. Prisoners (2013)
![Prisoners - Official Trailer 2 [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/doPNgss-ntc/maxresdefault.jpg)
Another near-silent performance that screams. As Alex Jones, Dano delivers something brutally controlled, fragile, damaged, and confused without slipping into caricature.
Every flinch hits like a gut punch. Every tiny gesture expands the film’s moral universe. He becomes the beating heart of Denis Villeneuve’s thriller purely through presence, and it’s devastating to watch.
It’s one of the greatest supporting turns of the 2010s, harrowing and humane in equal measure.
1. There Will Be Blood (2007)
The role Tarantino dismissed as “weak sauce” is, ironically, the strongest argument against his entire point.
Stepping in with two weeks’ notice, Dano crafted Eli Sunday, preacher, manipulator, accidental sparring partner to Daniel Day-Lewis at his most volcanic. Not only does Dano hold his own, but he also creates a character who destabilises every scene he’s in.
His sermons crackle with desperation; his confrontations fizz with suppressed panic; his final moments are biblical in their tragedy. It’s a performance budding actors will look to in admiration, and one director would love to draw out of talent. It was a statement from Dano, one he has delivered on ever since.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
-
Mr Men and Little Miss are about to take on Hollywood in a new first-of-its-kind filmCinema is about to get much more colourful
-
From The Usual Suspects to Sexy Beast: Ten heist movies that steal the showTour through the films that perfected the art of the heist
-
From The Favourite to Bugonia: Ranking Yorgos Lanthimos' filmsThere’s blood and biscuits everywhere
-
10 of the coolest things we saw at MCM London Comic Con 2025Celebrities, unreleased games, world record attempts and more!
-
Coraline maker Laika is bringing back stop motion animation in WildwoodA herculean animated effort
-
The best 1930s movies: 20 of the greatest films of the '30sDo the monster mash with Frankenstein, Dracula, Kong, the Wizard and the Invisible Man.
-
Simu Liu says the Sleeping Dogs script is finally doneDon't let sleeping dogs lie
-
There is a script in the works for Hocus Pocus 3, and Bette Midler is “very excited” about itThe Sanderson sisters are baaaack
