The Wizard of the Kremlin, based on the fictionalized novel Le Mage du Kremlin by Giuliano da Empoli, stars Paul Dano as a master manipulator working behind the scenes to help Vladimir Putin rise to power. Nerd Reactor had the chance to chat with the actor about

“I found it upsetting,” Dano tells Nerd Reactor. “To learn what you do in this film and then see how it’s been applied all over the world. So in that way, it’s not just a film about Russia, but about modern politics and modern power. One of the really disturbing things for me was seeing that the creation of chaos requires a strong figure in the middle. We’ve really seen that put to work in the US as well.”

As an actor, Dano discusses what he does between different projects.

“Absolutely take time to reset if you can, because it’s easy to get lost on tour, so to speak, like a band that can’t stop touring,” he explained. “It is a different life. You’re working very long days, often away from home. It’s really important to go back to your life, your people, your family, get leveled again, get straight again, and regenerate so that you are hungry for the next one.”

About The Wizard of the Kremlin

Synopsis: In the chaos of post-Soviet Russia, rising KGB officer Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) joins forces with master manipulator Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) to reshape life behind the Iron Curtain, using violence and deception to change the world forever. Putin and Baranov’s reign of chaos begins with lies and corruption, and quickly escalates to assassinations, tyranny, and eventually all-out war.

The film is directed by Olivier Assayas and written by Olivier Assayas and Emmanuel Carrère.

It stars Paul Dano, Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, Will Keen, with Jeffrey Wright and Jude Law.

The Wizard of the Kremlin releases in North American theaters on May 15, 2026.