Paul Dano

About

Paul Dano is an American actor most known for his roles in the films There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine and The Batman in which he played the Riddler. Memes, fan art and general stan behavior percolated online surrounding Dano mostly from people who enjoyed his portrayal of the Riddler and people thinking he was attractive.

Background

Paul Dano was born in New York, New York in 1984, making him 34-years-old as of March 2022.^[1] He spent the first five years of his life in New York until his family moved to Connecticut. He then spent the rest of his adolescence in Connecticut, attending high school in the town of New Canaan.

At the age of 12, Dano made his acting debut on Broadway in the play Inherit the Wind. In 2002, the year he graduated high school, Dano had a small role in season 4 of The Sopranos, playing the character Patrick Whalen across several episodes (shown below).

Notable Movies

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Although Dano had starred in movies such as The Girl Next Door, The King and The Ballad of Jack and Rose from 2002 to 2005, it wasn't until his role as the character Dwayne in the movie Little Miss Sunshine, released in 2006, that Dano received notable recognition for his acting. His character Dwayne was the older brother of the movie's main protagonist: a girl who's an underdog beauty pageant competitor part of a struggling family that travels by van. The film became a cult classic amongst indie movie fans.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

In 2007, Dano starred in the movie There Will Be Blood, playing the role of Eli Sunday, an aspiring pastor in the Western town. Dano's role in the movie inspired critical acclaim in which he received a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nomination for Best Supporting Actor.^[1]

The Batman (2022)

Dano had multiple supporting roles in movies such as Cowboys and Aliens, 12 Years a Slave and Swiss Army Man, among others. However, in 2022, Dano received more mainstream attention or awareness following his role as the Riddler in The Batman 2022 film. After the movie's release, many people started to "fan-girl" over Dano online. Many also exploited image macros of him dressed as the Riddler in subsequent memes.

Related Memes

Classic Paul Dano

Classic Paul Dano is a copypasta expression typically posted on 4chan's /tv/ (television and film) board anytime a reference to actor Paul Dano is made. The exact origin of the phrase is unclear, but the earliest know use on 4chan was posted by a user accusing the OP of using being Paul Dano giving a "false name" (shown below).

The Riddler Memes

Memes involving Paul Dano's likeness circulated most notably in 2022 following the release of The Batman film. One fake headline, in particular, garnered memes online, related to Dano's "controversial" method of getting into character related to incels. An anonymous 4chan user photoshopped an article from Slate^[2] writer Dan Kois to instead read, "Paul Dano's Controversial Method of Getting Into Character Points Spotlight on Incels." The subtitle of the article stated that Dano had abstained from sex for two weeks prior to filming, however, this headline was staged.

A screenshot of the 4chan post was reposted to Reddit's /r/greentext^[3] on the 13th, where over the course of 15 days, it received roughly 10,800 upvotes (shown below, left). Others online reacted to the headline as if it was real, like Twitter^[4] user danielleloucamp on March 17th, who earned roughly 17,200 likes for their tweet in 11 days (shown below, right).

Riddle Me This, Batman

Other meme creators simply used an image macro of Dano dressed as the 2022 version of the Riddler. They put subsequent captions over the image, exploiting it en masse. The most popular caption became Riddle Me This, Batman, first used with Dano's likeness on March 17th, 2022 by Twitter^[5] user MeganBitchell who posted a joke referencing the viral Why Do They Call It Oven? question that gained over 14,100 retweets and 123,400 likes in one day (shown below).

Fandom

Following his role as the Riddler, many people online started to find Dano attractive, posting heartfelt edits of him acting over the years and coming to the realization that he's an ideal male figure. For instance, on March 16th, Twitter^[6] user inception posted an edit with the caption, "it's paul dano's world and we're just living in it," earning roughly 2,600 likes in 12 days (shown below).

it's paul dano's world and we're just living in it pic.twitter.com/e45QNTVYLo

— annie (@incepthion) March 16, 2022

Search Interest

External References