Paul Dano refuses to let money rule his life.
Paul Dano in Dumb Money about the GameStop stock furore
The 39-year-old Hollywood actor - known for his roles in 'The Batman' and 'The Fabelmans' - doesn't want to let his bank balance become linked to his self-worth insisting he just wants to earn enough cash from his films to pay his mortgage and live a "decent life" with his partner Zoe Kazan and their two young children.
In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, he explained: "I have two kids and a mortgage, so there’s a practical element to it. I want to be able to do the work I want to do and make enough to live a decent life, which I know is a very privileged thing to be able to say. But I don’t want my self-worth to be my net worth."
Dano went on to reveal he didn't grow up in a wealthy family despite being the son of a financial adviser, but he was an emotionally aware child who would cry when he saw homeless people struggling.
He added: "There was a church next to our building [where his family lived], and they’d let homeless people sleep there. I had a really hard time with that as a kid. It made me upset every day. I remember crying. It was pretty intense."
The actor's next film is 'Dumb Money' which tells the story of beleaguered videogame retailer GameStop which found itself at the centre of a Reddit campaign which sent its stock prices soaring following a flurry of short selling from hedge funds who were looking to make money by betting on the company's failure.
Dano went on to insist the only currency he really cares about is the love of his partner and their kids. He said: "It’s hard for actors because you’re constantly looking for approval from others. It doesn’t set up a great psychology of self-worth. But there’s no greater value than what I mean to my wife and my kids. If that stock drops, that would be the hardest one. Then you’re in real trouble."
Tagged in Paul Dano