A tyrant doesn’t rise to power without a lot of help, and in Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin, we see the mastermind behind the ascension of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Paul Dano, in one of his most complex and challenging roles, plays the fictional voice in Putin’s ear, Vadim Baranov, an artist, actor, and media figure, who decided the only real stage for him was the political stage.
In my interview with Dano, we spoke about the challenge of creating a fictional character based on a real person. Baranov is based on Putin’s aide, Vladislav Surkov, considered to be the true puppet master behind the government. We also talked about how the film comments on propaganda, and reflects the rise of the anti-democratic movement around the world. Dano also spoke about working with Assayas, whose films often deal with political unrest, and Jude Law who is virtually unrecognizable as Putin.
The Wizard of the Kremlin opens in theaters on May 15th. You can check out my review here, and the interview with Dano below!
