Paul Dano shares his perspective on aging with PEOPLE as he approaches his 42nd birthday in June
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The actor shares two children with his partner Zoe Kazan, whom he has been in a relationship with for nearly two decades
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Dano's new drama The Wizard of the Kremlin is in theaters May 15
Paul Danois enjoying the ride and embracing life as a parent as he glides through his 40s.
The actor turns 42 in June, but Dano, who stars in the new movieThe Wizard of the Kremlin, tells PEOPLE that fatherhood has played more of a role in changing his life than getting older itself.
"Probably the first thing I think of is actually not age that changed me, but probably parenthood is the first thing — where becoming a parent has forced me to grow up in a much different way," he says in a recent interview. "So I think more than turning 40 or or 41 or 42, it's sort of learning through my kids and how to meet them at the ages that they're at and what they ask of you."
Dano, who began acting professionally in the late 1990s and broke out in the 2000s,sharestwo childrenwith hispartnerZoe Kazan. Their daughter, Alma Bay, was born in August 2018, followed by their son in October 2022.
Off-screen, the couple live a quiet life in Brooklyn, New York. However, on the big screen, Dano is known for playing real-life figures like The Beach Boys'Brian WilsonandThe Batman's villain The Riddler, among other roles. Dano's latest movie sees the actor portray a fictional Russian man who rises to become one ofVladimir Putin's chief political advisors in the 1990s and 2000s.
"I think I'm very fortunate. I think life mostly gets better, so far," Dano says. "With age, we'll see if that hits a downward turn soon enough. I certainly can't eat as much as I used to, but otherwise, we're in good enough shape so far."
Dano costars in the new movie withJude Law, who portrays Putin, 73, as well asAlicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, Will Keen andJeffrey Wright. The movie, which was filmed in Latvia, follows Dano's character Baranov as he shares the story behind his rise to power within Putin's regime in Moscow with Wright's reporter character.
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Making a movie so intertwined with 21st-century politics required both Dano and Law, 53, to do "our homework, so to speak" in order to better understand the subject matter.
"Honestly, no," Dano tells PEOPLE when asked if he generally takes an interest in history or current events. "But this made me interested, and it happened very naturally."
Dano also tells PEOPLE he enjoyed getting to spend time with Vikander, 37, and Law in Latvia during filming.
"I would say that on set is not really about downtime ever. I think it's really about staying in the soup of the character or the piece, but off set, we all need a bite of food and a drink at the end of the day or on the weekend," he says. "So, really lovely people to spend time with. Loved getting to hang with them and get to know them a bit, explore a new place. . .
Dano adds, "So it's kind of a tale of two experiences: one, where you're all in a hotel together and on your day off, you want to share a meal, and the other, the weekdays where you're really about the work."
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The Wizard of the Kremlinis in theaters May 15.
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