It’s tough to read Dane DeHaan’s film resume and wonder why you haven’t heard about this guy yet. Certainly, plenty of others have, such as the folks at Village Voice, who bestowed their Obie Award on him for an “utterly disarming” performance in the off-Broadway hit “The Aliens”, or—well—the rest of the world, in praising his turn as a deeply-troubled gay teen on HBO’s “In Treatment”. And then there’s his other stint for HBO, an obscure little thing called “True Blood”, where he gave new meaning to the name “Timbo”…let’s hear those growls of recognition now!
Get ready to see a lot more from this 24 year-old, who’s wrapped his package nicely with the elusive “gorgeous and gifted” ribbon. Not that the guy hasn’t worked at it. Originally from Allentown, PA, Dehaan honed his talent at the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts before moving on to New York, warming the gaslights (and the critics’ hearts) there in companies such as Soho Rep and the Ensemble Studio Theatre.
It wasn’t long before Hollywood sat up and took notice. John Sayles tapped him for his cast in his 2010 pic “Amigo”, which Dehaan describes as an “amazing” experience , and rapidly after that, HBO fans were wowed by his seven-episode “In Treatment” arc, where he fused brain cells with writer Sarah Treem to bring life to the layered, tortured Jesse.
HBO couldn’t let him go quite yet, letting him get a juicy bite in as the werewolf Timbo over on “True Blood”, which formed a perfect geographic segue to his next project, the star-studded “Wettest County in the World”, filmed on location in Louisiana with Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska (who seems to be bucking for the new “Female Kevin Bacon” award).
DeHaan also just wrapped the intriguing “Jack and Diane” (lesbian werewolves? We’re in), as well as “The Place Beyond the Pines” with another member of the “gifted and gorgeous” club, Ryan Gosling.
The guy has chosen to give up both sleep and breathing for the next year, as he’s set now for his first starring role in the high-concept “Chronicle”, focusing on the darker elements of super-hero status. Hmmm. A classic story concept with a twist. Sounds like it’s right up this Great Dane’s alley.