When the guys heard about Paul Dano’s directorial debut, “Wildlife,” they both admitted to pre-judging it as good-bad: a period piece, a troubled marriage, a child bearing witness to fighting. But much like the characters on screen, the film revealed itself to be much more nuanced than they had imagined. Today, we dive deep into this quiet Richard Ford adaptation and discuss the multitudes therein: a captivating Carey Mulligan, a simmering score, and a director clearly influenced by the greats he’s acted for (PTA, Rian Johnson, and others).

Then, Chance gets on the phone with Paul Dano to discuss his process, his collaboration with Zoe Kazan, and a few shots fired Dano wants to take back re: establishing shots and the Los Angeles Lakers.

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BE REEL is brought to you by the MFA in Writing Program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Learn more about CCA’s den of poets, raconteurs, playwrights, and novelists at cca.edu/writingmfa.