The Wizard of the Kremlin: Paul Dano opens up about playing a political puppet master in the upcoming political thriller 

The Wizard of the Kremlin is a well-crafted film that takes a cinematic shot at power, deceit, and ambition. Directed by Olivier Assayas and adapted from a bestselling novel by Giuliano da Empoli, the movie does not follow the traditional biopic script. Instead, it plays out as a globe-spanning political thriller that’s grounded in the steely aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2025. Starring Paul Dano, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, and Jeffrey Wright, and focusing on the rise of Vladimir Putin again, not his story as told from his perspective, rather it follows the advice offered by the fictional spin doctor and reality TV producer turned political strategist, Baranov.

Paul Dano opens up about playing Baranov in The Wizard of the Kremlin

Stepping into the shoes of Vadim Baranov, Paul Dano opted for a role that would truly test his craft as an actor. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dano revealed:

“Knowing the scope he could achieve, the length of time this covered — it was quite an ambitious piece on first read. It was pretty cut and dry, frankly: if I’m going to try be an actor, this is the kind of work I have to challenge myself with.”

He admits that Baranov initially felt distant from who he is:

“It feels very far from who I am, actually. So I was surprised how compelled I was by it. It was like a new part of me getting tickled and getting awoken and having to work with: how do I lust for power? What’s my relationship to power?”

Paul Dano leads the cast as Vadim Baranov, with Jude Law as a young Vladimir Putin. Alicia Vikander is Ksenia, Baranov’s mysterious and morally somewhat complicated lover. Will Keen, Tom Sturridge, and Academy Award nominee Jeffrey Wright are also cast in the film.

Earlier, in an interview with Variety, director Oliver Assayas opened up about how Dano and Law were involved in the process of making the movie. He explained:

"Paul Dano impressed me with his interest, his involvement, his immersion in Russian politics. He would send me things he had found in obscure corners of the internet which related to the film, which related to the story, which clarified this or that aspect of our narrative. It was the same for Jude Law, who, on top of everything else, had the enormous challenge of portraying Vladimir Putin, who he doesn’t actually look that much like. He completely transformed and reinvented him and made him very believable."

Through the portrait of one of the most vivid characters in recent Russian history, Vadim Baranov, The Wizard of the Kremlin offers a peek through the window on the opaque world of contemporary politics as rarely before.

What is The Wizard of the Kremlin about?

From the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of Vladimir Putin, The Wizard of the Kremlin is the story of how Baranov, an artist turned TV producer, became the man behind the man who would go on to become Russia’s president. In his rise to political puppet master, Vadim exposes the sleight of hand behind a modern power grab.

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The Wizard of the Kremlin had a Venice premiere date of August 31, 2025, and will be competing at the 82nd edition of the Venice International Film Festival. Shot mostly in Riga, Latvia, production ran through early 2025, building from scratch elements of the Kremlin and other Russian sights to look just as they should.

Between Dano’s introspective performance, The Wizard of the Kremlin appears to be more than a mere political thriller. It provides a meditation on ambition, complicity, and the corrosiveness of power in an era of artifice. As the film steps onto the Venice stage, it is uniquely positioned to provoke discussions and may be on the cusp of revealing uncomfortable realities.

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