An Updated Ranking of the Best Performances To Date From Paul Dano

Much like I said last year when a certain situation warranted coming to his aid, 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 (even though the situation several months ago was a fairly uncalled for one), but I’d put Dano closer to the top of our current performers, as opposed to elsewhere, like someone else decided to do at the time. So, with his latest role in The Wizard of the Kremlin hitting theaters next week, I wanted to highlight him once more and cite some of his best performances so far.

Next week, Dano stars in The Wizard of the Kremlin. My review of the film will be up early on in the week, as well as a conversation with Dano himself, but he’s quite good here. The movie is solid and a throwback political drama, even if it might have been begging to be a miniseries, but Dano, alongside Jude Law, is the real highlight. More in a few days, but it’s certainly one of his better performances, as well as a welcome leading man turn.

Below, I have how Dano stacks up for me here in 2026. I still 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 (now an Honorable Mention), while Ruby Sparks is one of his more underrated turns. He’s been in tiny independent cinema like L.I.E., 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. Where does The Wizard of the Kremlin rank for him? Find out next…

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

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

10. Dumb Money

9. Looper

8. Little Miss Sunshine

7. The Batman

6. Prisoners

5. Ruby Sparks

4. The Wizard of the Kremlin

3. There Will Be Blood

2. Love & Mercy

1. The Fabelmans

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