Paul Dano
Germano, Luchetti and Ragonese
-----From a debut in Broadway to Little Miss Sunshine: a new star makes progress in Hollywood
Paul Dano, who's just turned 26 years of age, was born in Manhattan and grew up in Connecticut. In primary school he discovered a passion for the stage, which led to a debut on Broadway at only 12.
"Acting was almost like playing sport, like basketball or soccer; I loved singing but I had absolutely no idea it would become my real passion". While still at school, he received a first important role in the independent film, L.I.E., which won him best debut actor award, part of the prestigious Independent Spirit Awards.
His film career so far has seen him work alongside actors such as Kevin Kline, Angelina Jolie, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gael García Bernal, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz (in the recent comedy Innocent Lies, which will appear in Italian movie theatres from September); Dano says that from these stars he learned a fundamental aspect of being as actor: versatility.
His most significant experience was, "without a doubt, Little Miss Sunshine, the film which helped me understand that despite everything, dreams can still come true, even in Hollywood".
Germano, Luchetti and Ragonese
vogue.itThe lead stars of "La nostra vita", the only Italian film in competition in Cannes, answer questions from the film's director
Elio Germano, the winner (alongside Javier Bardem) of the award for best male actor at Cannes (for his role in La nostra vita"), is one of the most sought after Italian actors.
The film's director Daniele Luchetti interviewed him in an exclusive for Uomo Vogue, alongside the film's other lead, Isabella Ragonese. Before working with Luchetti in "La nostra vita", Germano had already worked with the director in "Mio fratello è figlio unico, alongside Riccardo Scamarcio. The thirty-year old actor won the David di Donatello award for his performance in that role.
Germano asks of a director "that he be allowed to make mistakes. The really strong, true things, are in the folds of mistakes, in dirt... As an actor I love working with a hand-held camera because it chooses what to frame. Traditionally however, everything is set up in favour of the frame: the field is established and only what's in the field counts. The surrounding world is not there, the imagination has to make an extra effort, and for this reason greater control is required".
To aspiring actors he suggests "learning other professions. The more experiences you've lived, the more you'll be able to tell".
Who knew?
