Ranking the Best Performances So Far From Paul Dano

For reasons that we don’t need to get into, it feels like a good time to put forth a fairly obvious statement: Paul Dano is a very good actor. From his early days as a child actor to now where he’s a filmmaker in his own right as well, Dano consistently turns in strong work. Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I’d put Dano closer to the top of our current performers, as opposed to elsewhere, like someone else decided to do recently. So, today I wanted to highlight him and cite some of his best performances so far.

Below, I have how Dano stacks up for me. I have The Fabelmans and Love & Mercy up top, followed by There Will Be Blood next in line. These three performances really do show the range of emotions he can handle, as well as the notably different material he’s aced. My list would also include some deeper cuts like The Girl Next Door, while Ruby Sparks is one of his more underrated turns. He’s been in tiny independent cinema like, as well as blockbusters like The Batman, doing memorable work in all. I’d go so fare as to say it’s a big snub that he’s never been nominated for an Academy Award. His date with Oscar is still coming, but even now, he’s worth of acclaim, not derision.

Here now is my ranking of Paul Dano’s best work to date. Behold:

Honorable Mention: Being Flynn, The Extra Man, Gigantic, L.I.E., and Where the Wild Things Are

10. The Girl Next Door

9. Dumb Money

8. Looper

7. Little Miss Sunshine

6. The Batman

5. Ruby Sparks

4. Prisoners

3. There Will Be Blood

2. Love & Mercy

1. The Fabelmans

What are your favorite Paul Dano performances? Let us know!