Paul Dano’s Finally Getting The Attention He Deserves Thanks To The Beach Boy Biopic ‘Love & Mercy’

You may not realize it, but Paul Dano has been working to gain your attention for the past 15 years or so; he’s delivered consistently astounding performances, chosen strong material, and rounded out some of Hollywood’s strongest casts (Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood, 12 Years a Slave). Despite boasting an impressive list of credits, however, Dano is frequently left out of the cultural and critical conversation, and doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves for his powerful performances. He’s arguably one of the greatest actors of his generation, but his subtle presence in strong material hasn’t been enough to gain him awards season traction or long-term attention – that is, perhaps, until now.

Dano’s breathtaking performance in the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy —now available for purchase in digital HD— has gained him some considerable Oscar buzz, and his supporting role in the upcoming Italian dramedy Youth (also starring Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel) was well-received at Cannes. Dano’s praise is long overdue, and it’s time to stop calling him a “break out star” – because he broke out a long time ago.

Born and bred in New York City, Paul Dano’s career began on stage at the age of 12 when he made his Broadway debut in Inherit the Wind. He began to take on small roles, and made a few TV movies and appeared in a brief recurring role for a few episodes of The Sopranos. His first feature film role was in L.I.E. opposite Brian Cox, where he played a teenaged boy who begins a relationship with an older man. He received several awards for this film and next came back into the public eye in The Ballad of Jack and Rose in a supporting role opposite Daniel Day-Lewis. His first big breakthrough came as a Nietzsche-obsessed, voluntarily mute teenager in the 2006 indie dramedy Little Miss Sunshine. He played Dwayne, the older brother of Olive (Abigail Breslin) whose dreams of being a test pilot for the Air Force are crushed upon the revelation that he’s color blind. Though he spent half the film without any dialogue, Dano’s presence was a force to be reckoned with, and he held his own alongside stars like Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, and Alan Arkin.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 epic drama There Will Be Blood, kicked Dano’s career to the next level. Though he was originally cast in the much smaller supporting role of Paul Sunday, the actor playing Eli Sunday dropped out two weeks into shooting and Anderson panicked and asked if Dano would take on the part. Anderson rewrote the film so that Eli and Paul were twin brothers, and just four days after committing to the role, Dano officially stepped into the role of Eli (opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, who had been preparing for his role for a year). There was nothing likable about Dano in this film – his villainy was staked in his religious superiority, his need to stand in the way of Day-Lewis’ (equally as reprehensible) alpha male. Dano’s performance was visceral, and he made us feel disgust, anger, and eventually, pity. Who can forget the iconic bowling alley scene? There was something haunting about Dano’s shrieks and dedicated physicality, something magical about the manner in which he was able to keep up with every single crazy step Day-Lewis took. It seemed as though Dano was an obvious contender for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar – but he did not receive a nomination (the film received a slew of other nominations, and Day-Lewis took home the award for Best Actor for his performance as Daniel Plainview). Though reviewed with high praise, Dano’s riveting performance was seemingly forgotten in the insanity of all the other accolades received by the film.

Dano has continued to take on a number of unique projects, ranging from indies like Gigantic and Meek’s Cutoff to big-budget flicks like Knight and Day, Cowboys and Aliens, and Looper. In 2012, he starred opposite long-term girlfriend, actress/playwright/screenwriter Zoe Kazan in her film Ruby Sparks, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the same duo that helmed Little Miss Sunshine. The film, while only granted a limited release, was a charming and intelligent take on the Pygmalion myth, and gained largely favorable reviews from critics. He again reentered the world of riveting drama with his turn as the cruel John Tibeats in 12 Years a Slave, and received widespread recognition with the rest of the powerful ensemble. Dano gave another unsurprisingly moving performance as Alex Jones, a man with the IQ of a 10-year-old, in Prisoners opposite Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Though Dano has worked consistently and always delivered, it took until this year for many to notice the talent they had been watching, when he immersed himself in the role of Beach Boy Brian Wilson for Love & Mercy. Dano put on 40 pounds and taught himself piano and how to sing, and his portrayal of the mental illness Wilson endured for much of his life was absolutely gut-wrenching and sincere. Though he shared the role with John Cusack, who played Wilson in his later years, Dano stole the show from the veteran actor and ultimately gave the movie its heart. (Wilson himself even believed Dano played him more factually than Cusack did). Dano now seems to be campaigning for a Best Supporting Actor nod, and if successful, perhaps this could keep him on the map permanently. He’s played too many great roles to be continually forgotten the way he has been.

Paul Dano doesn’t have the looks of a conventional leading man, and he doesn’t reach for the elusive fame that many of his fellow young actors seem to fall in and out of. With upcoming projects like an HBO miniseries, a BBC miniseries, and a film with Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-ho, it’s clear that Dano isn’t going anywhere. He’s here to act, and that’s just what he’ll continue to do – and hopefully someday, he’ll be paid the attention he deserves.

Jade Budowski is an indecisive sometimes-writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.