Nailing the casting was especially important for Steven Spielberg's latest film The Fabelmans. The semi-autobiographical drama is based heavily around the legendary director's early life growing up in post-World War II America and how he overcame a family divide to pursue his passion for movie-making. Through his stand-in Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), he explored the influence of both his creatively-minded mother and methodical father on his life, particularly through the divide between them. It was critical then that Spielberg find actors that could capture not just their looks, but their mannerisms and mentalities. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, he made it clear that nobody embodied his father Arnold Spielberg quite like Paul Dano.
Given his recent roles, Dano might seem odd to play Spielberg's quiet, kind, and straight-laced father. He most recently made waves on-screen with one of the more disturbing depictions of The Riddler in Matt Reeves's The Batman. Even before that, he typically took on darker and quirkier roles, ranging from There Will Be Blood and Twelve Years a Slave to the decidedly more bizarre Swiss Army Man. He's not totally foreign to lighter roles, also starring in the rom-com Ruby Sparks among others. Spielberg approached Dano about the part of playing his dad after hearing from others around the industry about his temperament when out of character.
Dano admitted he was beyond nervous at being asked to join Spielberg on a Zoom call for the film. Once The Fabelmans was detailed to him, and he was asked to take on the role of the director's father, he said, "My heart did leap. I just could see it." During that first call with him, the director, too, knew immediately he had made the right choice and even got emotional at how much the actor reminded him of his father, saying:
I certainly didn’t want to come on my first meeting with Paul and be a little too familiar. But there was something so evocative of my dad. Ten minutes after the Zoom, I was choking. I was holding back my emotion.
By all accounts, Dano put everything into accurately portraying Spielberg's father. The two spent plenty of time getting familiar over Zoom, but the actor even immersed himself in Arnold's world. While on set, he ordered a crystal radio set to assemble in order to get a feel for his love of electronics which led him to become a skilled engineer. He's consistently proven himself able to tackle a wide range of roles across his award-winning career, but with how important the film is to Spielberg, Dano seems to have gone the extra mile to best fit the part.
More Details of The Fabelmans
Dano and LaBelle star in the film with Michelle Williams playing Mitzi Fabelman, based on Spielberg's mother Leah Adler. The film also stars Seth Rogen and Judd Hirsch with Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, and Keeley Karsten making up the rest of the cast. Spielberg co-wrote and produced his passion project with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and recent West Side Story collaborator Tony Kushner.
See Dano portray Spielberg's father in The Fabelmans when it releases in select theaters on November 11 before enjoying a wider release on November 23 in time for Thanksgiving. Check out the trailer below.