Paul Dano

Some projects go as you hope or imagine, and some change or reveal themselves in a different way; it depends.

To be called a genius at 17 or 18 years old can sometimes cause arrested development.

I went to private school in Manhattan, and at a young age, they made us do public speaking. For some reason, I was good at standing in front of the class and speaking.

When my girlfriend's away, I cook a big vat of meaty pasta and sauce and eat that for about a week. Then I eat out the rest of the time. When she's home, we eat at home probably twice a week. I chop, she cooks.

I'm a sucker for period pieces. There is always great opportunity for research and to delude yourself into feeling like you are in a different time and place.

I've seen people, where if they have to wait around the set for three hours, and they call you at the wrong time, and they're not ready for you, some people don't like that.

I can obviously relate to a character who is an artist, because the creative process is a big part of my life.

I want to do some bigger films, so long as there's some sort of exciting creative element or a good filmmaker behind them.

The better the acting is, the harder it is to see what the process is.

The idea of writer's block or not having inspiration is totally terrifying to me.

I've been fortunate to work with several actors and directors who I look up to, and learned from each of them.

The only constant I can find is hard work.