- Paul Dano starred as Eli Sunday and Paul Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film, There Will Be Blood.
- Director Quentin Tarantino recently criticized Paul’s performance during an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, where he referred to him as “the weakest fucking actor in SAG.”
- Several celebs have come to Paul’s defense in the wake of Tarantino’s comments.
Quentin Tarantino is out here igniting beef with Paul Dano on a random Tuesday. The Kill Bill director made an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, where he named the 10 best movies of the 21st century alongside the host. In doing so, he also heavily criticized one of Paul’s most notable performances in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Western film, There Will Be Blood.
While Tarantino agreed that There Will Be Blood is a certified classic, he explained that there was one “big, giant flaw” that kept it from being the best film of the century. Nearly two decades after this movie was released, Tarantino claimed that the flaw in question is “the weakest fucking actor in SAG,” Paul Dano. Oh, and somehow Austin Butler got thrown into this mess when the director said he “would have been wonderful” in the role.
Honestly, it’s a lot to take in, so let’s break down Quentin Tarantino and Paul Dano’s There Will Be Blood feud.
Tarantino made some comments about Paul on a podcast
As we briefly discussed ^^^ up there, Tarantino came for Paul when he was naming the best movies of the 21st century during a December 2 appearance on The Brett Easton Ellis Podcast.
“There Will Be Blood would stand a good chance at being number 1 or number 2 if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it…and the flaw is Paul Dano,” Tarantino said.
He continued, “Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, but it’s also drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander. He is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister.”
The director then suggested that Austin Butler—who he worked with on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood in 2019—“would have been wonderful” in Paul’s role, adding, “He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest fucking actor in SAG.”
Other actors have come to Paul’s defense after Tarantino’s comments
Naturally, Tarantino’s critiques didn’t fly with the Dano Hive and other actors in the biz. The same day the episode dropped, Alec Baldwin posted an Instagram video to defend the actor, saying, in part, “I just want to say, I love Paul Dano.”
Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett agreed as he left a comment under Alec’s post, while Josh Gad left some love for Paul on Threads, writing, “Not sure who needs to hear this, but Paul Dano is one of the best actors of our time. Full stop.”
Simu Liu pulled a similar move on his own social channels, adding, “idk man i think paul dano is an incredible actor.”
Paul’s There Will Be Blood co-stars, Colleen Foy and Dillon Freasier, also weighed in.
“Paul Dano and I played brother and sister in THERE WILL BE BLOOD. His incredible performance speaks for itself,” she wrote on Threads. “I sat behind Quentin Tarantino at the Cast & Crew screening and he was legit vibing with Paul’s performance. His recent comments are incongruent with his reaction that night.”
As for Dillon, he told TMZ, “The film is perfect. It’s a work of art. And it’s that way because everyone was perfectly cast.”
Toni Collette, who is another one of Paul’s co-stars from Little Miss Sunshine, subtly supported him with an Instagram Story of a photo from the film.
Matt Reeves, who directed The Batman, starring Paul as The Riddler, also defended the star, whom he referred to as an “incredible actor and incredible person” on social media.
Ben Stiller, who directed Paul in the 2018 mini-series Escape from Dannemora, praised the actor as “f-ing brilliant,” while Paul Thomas Anderson’s partner and SNL alum, Maya Rudolph, posted a pic of Paul on her Instagram Stories in support.
Paul, meanwhile, has yet to comment on this mess, but we’ll keep you posted if he does!
