In life, you have to keep certain parts of yourself in check because you want to be a decent human being. But one of the guilty pleasures of acting is that sometimes you get to let a little something out that you don't in life because it's not right.

Paul Dano

I think you sometimes have to go hit rock bottom before you can grow and rebuild as a person.

Paul Dano

Sometimes we fall in love with the idea of a person and have trouble seeing the real thing.

Paul Dano

In tragedy, it's hard to find a good resolution; it's not black and white: it's a big fog of gray.

Paul Dano

I don't have any tattoos.

Paul Dano

I don't like to spend a lot of money on haircuts: I'll sometimes grow my hair and get an acting job and get them to cut it for free. I think for a lady, though, it's okay to spend a lot on a haircut.

Paul Dano

The world of the homeless is a tough and interesting world.

Paul Dano

Let's say honorary favorite New Yorker is John Lennon, and favorite real New Yorker is Biggie, because he's the best.

Paul Dano

Robert De Niro's sort of like a surfer: he doesn't really force anything. So if he catches the wave, or something spills out - to watch a guy be a force at what he does. He has a good worth ethic.

Paul Dano

I do think the first time you read a script, that gut response is very important, and that probably plants a seed that continues to blossom throughout the whole experience.

Paul Dano

I go down to the dive bar around the corner when I go out. I don't go to the showbiz parties.

Paul Dano

I love Brooklyn; it's a part of who you are.

Paul Dano

I'd love to do a really broad comedy at some point.

Paul Dano

I feel like I have to be responsible for what I'm participating in or putting out into the world.

Paul Dano

One thing you notice is, there's a lot of people with raw talent, and then there's people who take that talent and work hard.

Paul Dano

I'm not a person who needs to chit-chat between takes by any means.

Paul Dano

I'd always been fascinated by people who allow themselves to be so rude and irritated and foul-mouthed and hostile, but usually you can sense there's something vulnerable beneath them - a shield they use to protect that vulnerable side. Finally, when they expose that soft spot, it's kind of touching.

Paul Dano

Spring and fall in New York are the best seasons here to get out and about. I like the little park in Dumbo between the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridge. I like Prospect Park.

Paul Dano

I love cereal. I eat several bowls a day, mostly a few late at night.

Paul Dano

The hardest thing about working with your partner is that the work starts to become first.

Paul Dano

I like movies a lot, and I feel really excited when I see a movie that moves me the right way.

Paul Dano