Dane DeHaan Next Big Thing - P 2013
Olivia MaloneThis story first appeared in the Sept. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
What a difference a year makes. After turning heads in the 2012 Toronto triptych The Place Beyond the Pines, Dane DeHaan returns to the festival with the concert-narrative mashup Metallica Through the Never, drama Kill Your Darlings and West Memphis Three saga Devil’s Knot. Likened to an edgier Leonardo DiCaprio, he gained notice as a tortured gay teen in HBO’s In Treatment, and after co-starring in the found-footage hit Chronicle in 2012, he landed Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, due in May. Lest he be typecast as moody, DeHaan has the zombie comedy Life After Beth in 2014.
PHOTOS: Toronto 2013: The Films
What was it like going from indies to the Spider-Man franchise?
My assumption was that it would be artistically compromised, but it was actually a great luxury to have four months to prepare and six months to shoot.
You’re stepping into James Franco’s shoes as Peter Parker’s friend and nemesis. Did he give you any advice?
No, we haven’t talked. He’s got a lot going on!
Who are your industry idols?
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Al Pacino. I feel like they continue to challenge themselves as actors and try to get better and better.
STORY: Dane DeHaan to Play Harry Osborn in ‘Spider-Man’ Sequel
What’s the best advice you’ve received about Hollywood?
I was living in New York and thinking about moving to L.A., but I had an entire theater community I was really in love with. In Treatment [star] Gabriel Byrne wrote me a letter that said, “Don’t be afraid to jump off cliffs.” If I hadn’t made that move, my life would be a lot different.
You married your high school sweetheart, Anna Wood, star of CBS’ midseason drama Reckless. How do you juggle schedules?
We moved back to [Brooklyn] and see each other every three weeks, but we’re surprisingly functional. I’m hoping to spend more time in Charleston [South Carolina], where the show is filming. I’m a huge golfer, and that’s a big destination. I don’t look like I’d be a golfer, but it’s my way of escaping.
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VITAL STATS
Age: 27
Born: Allentown, Pa.
Big Break: HBO’s In Treatment, 2010
Reps: Chris Andrews and Kim Hodgert (CAA), Courtney Kivowitz (The Schiff Co.)
