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Page 1 of 2  Nobody will be going to see "Fast Food Nation," --Richard Linklater’s ambitious narrative adaptation of Eric Schlosser’s bestseller--to be cheered up. But they’ll find joy watching the super cast Linklater assembled for even the smallest roles. Bobby Cannavale, Bruce Willis (a terrific cameo), Esai Morales, Greg Kinnear, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Wilmer Valderrama, and even singer Avril Lavigne are among those who mostly play individuals connected with the fast-food industry, as management or exploited workers.
Not lost among that array of talent is Paul Dano, who has made so many appearances of late in movies (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and television (“The Sopranos”) that no longer does anyone have to look up his characters in the end credits to find his name.
Dano’s small role in "Fast Food Nation" surely will solidify his reputation for giving dead-on performances as alienated youths. He plays Brian, who makes hamburgers at Mickey’s, complains about it, and probably does nothing else in his life. As the popular joke goes, he is one fry short of a Happy Meal.
 Paul Dano  Ashley Johnson and Paul Dano in "Fast Food Nation"  Director Richard Linklater displays promo merchandise from the film  Only some of the all-star cast (L to R): Wilmer Valderrama, Catalina Sandina Moreno, Greg Kinnear, Ethan Hake, and Ashley Johnson  Wilmer Valderrama and Catalina Sandina Moreno star in "Fast Food Nation"
PD: A huge fan. “Dazed and Confused” was one of my favorite films when I was in high school. And I also really love “Slacker” and “Waking Life,” among others. So I wanted to be part of this film and auditioned to play Brian, who works at Mickey’s grilling hamburgers. When I met Rick I discovered he was super intelligent but a really down-to-earth, relaxed, chilled guy, just “a guy” who’s fun to hang out with. I was very glad he gave me the role. Q: Was getting the chance to work with him the main reason you wanted to do the film?
PD: It was a part of it. I also liked the script by him and Eric Schlosser, and that it had social-political implications. But maybe the biggest factor was that I wanted to see some of the characters in Eric’s book come to life so that we’d better see the negative parts of the fast-food industry.
Q: Do you eat fast food?
PD: Not since I read the book. On the East Coast I liked Wendy’s best and when I was on the West Coast I’d go to In-N-Out Burger. I also like taking road trips and the places you find when you pull off the highway serve fast food. I wanted to be able to eat that so I purposely didn’t read the book when it came out. I knew what would happen. But when I found out I was going to be in the movie, I read the book. I haven’t eaten fast food since then. The book is really intense.
Q: What did you think was the most shocking aspect of the book?
PD: I think the treatment of employees is what affected me most. Most of us already had some knowledge that animals aren’t treated well in this type of situation. So the bad treatment of workers in fast-food restaurants is what surprised me. That’s what I liked seeing in the script by Richard and Eric. Even good people are part of the system and are helpless. The low-paid workers are going to starve if they don’t have a job so you can’t hold it against them for working in such places, but they are subjected to terrible things.
Q: Did you ever work at a fast food restaurant?
PD: No, but if the acting career doesn’t work out, I’ll see. To prepare for this movie, I actually tried to get a job at three McDonald’s close to where I live downtown. That was last Fall, and I thought I’d work a few days and then quit before filming, just to get a feel for what it’s like. I even filled out applications for two of them. But I got rejected by all of them. I was kinda hurt. I had to tell myself that maybe it was because I didn’t put down enough available hours.
Q: In your research, did you talk to people who work at fast-food restaurants?
PD: I talked to a few, including friends who work at fast-food restaurants. But honestly, you don’t have to talk to anyone. You can just sit down for a little while and watch the workers and you’ll get a pretty decent idea from their faces whether they like where they work and enjoy what they have to do. Also the book gives you, by far, the biggest insight into some of these people.
Q: In the movie, Brian drops a glob of spit onto a freshly-made burger and later drops a patty on the floor and picks it up and places it back on the grill. Do your friends confirm what we see in the film about what disgruntled fast-food restaurant workers do to the food?
PD: Maybe it’s just kids my age who don’t like their jobs, but, from what I’ve heard from them, the scary thing is that it doesn’t have to be a fast-food restaurant. Those things go on in all restaurants. Workers do some sick stuff that I don’t think we should talk about because you won’t feel like eating later.
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