Paul Dano on Going From the Riddler to Spielberg’s Dad: ‘It Was a Really Good Antidote’ | TIFF 2022

In the Toronto International Film Festival premiere “The Fabelmans,” Paul Dano plays family man Burt Fabelman, in a part modeled after director Steven Spielberg’s own father Arnold. The role is a marked contrast to his most recent theatrical appearance in this year’s “The Batman,” where he portrayed a sadistic and terrifying version of comic book villain the Riddler. Speaking with Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson, Dano spoke about making the shift between the two very different characters.