‘It’s Heart Expanding.’ Paul Dano on Becoming a Family Man, In Film and In Real Life

Paul Dano is hiding his hair under a trucker hat and carrying a few days' stubble. Six weeks ago exactly, his partner, actor Zoe Kazan, gave birth to their first child. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super tired," he says, walking into Central Park on a recent sunny morning in New York City. "But it's heart expanding."

After taking a monthlong break to focus on the baby, Dano is promoting another manner of child: his directorial debut, the moody, beautifully shot period drama Wildlife (out Oct.