Paul Dano's Role Of "Gigantic" Porportions

After portraying a character who suffers vicious beatings at the hands of Daniel Day-Lewis' antagonistic Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood," the young, and rather reserved, Paul Dano once again stars as a character who faces brutal physical attacks in the newly-released feature, "Gigantic."

The independent film focuses on a 28-year-old New York mattress salesman who, aside from relentlessly pursuing the adoption of an infant from China, endures periodic assaults from a cryptic homeless man. And while shying away from any material which could ever be labeled generic, Dano seems to consistently engage in action scenes on camera.

"There's a masochistic quality that I have. I like an ass-whooping," Dano told CBS News. "But I actually dislike shooting the fighting sequences. I don't know why I'm doing a couple films that have it. But it's just part of the story, so you do it."

Aside from the beatings, romance also ensues in "Gigantic" as Brian (Dano's character) courts another loner eccentric, Harriet a.k.a. Happy (Zooey Deschanel from "Elf"). The passive Brian sells an expensive mattress to Happy's incredibly vocal father (John Goodman, once again an oddball type), who rarely utters a politically correct phrase throughout the course of the film.

Veteran actor Ed Asner appears here as well, as Brian's 80-year-old father, who bonds with his children by ingesting psychedelic mushrooms with them in the woods.

Newcomer director Matt Aselton, who penned the screenplay for "Gigantic" along with longtime friend Adam Nagata, described the hilarity of the situation on set. "I do remember Ed Asner asking the boys what it was like to trip on mushrooms right before we were shooting. And I was like, 'Yes, tell him boys!'" Aselton said.

"Ed was very funny about that. He's from a different generation than I am. He had to take his cues from us. I don't think that mushrooms were a big thing when he was young," Dano said.

The actor, who also served as a first-time executive producer for this film, has gained glowing reviews in past performances which can often be defined as unconventional, and at times bizarre, when compared to the standards of traditional Hollywood filmmaking.

And that is exactly what Dano wants. "The idea of celebrity and some of the things that come along with the film industry ... they're not the best thing," he said. "You get people who judge ... your work. And then you get people who judge you as a person, even though they don't know you. And that's something that I have trouble with."

In person, Dano exudes traits similar to his characters: a demure, yet complex, young adult who seems to view himself as an outcast from society. This is a quality which earned him sweeping mainstream critical acclaim as a voluntarily mute son in "Little Miss Sunshine" and as a false prophet in "There Will Be Blood." Now, the actor once again stars in a film which heavily relies upon his performance as a loner with a lofty goal.

Dano argues that "Gigantic" stands out as a work quite distinct from his previous efforts. "After doing 'There Will Be Blood,' I wanted to do something different for myself ... I haven't done a romantic comedy before," the actor said of his reasoning for accepting this role.

Director Aselton also suggests that "Gigantic" cannot be easily labeled. "The word 'quirky' keeps coming up so much, but what does that really mean? " Aselton asked. "Who really wants to make a movie about normal people?"

And, while the level of 'quirk' may be disputed by viewers, few would suggest that "Gigantic" is a film about normal people.

"Gigantic" is now playing in limited release.

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