Director Quentin Tarantino made waves when he slammed Paul Dano’s acting ability, prompting widespread criticism.
Tarantino appeared on the “Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” in late 2025, where he named Dano’s film There Will Be Blood as one of his all-time favorite movies.
“Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, and it’s also so drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander,” Tarantino said, dissing Dano’s performance. “He is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister [and he’s] just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy.”
Dano, who played twin brothers in 2007’s There Will Be Blood opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, subsequently received support from the likes of George Clooney and Toni Collette.
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“That was really nice,” Dano told Variety in January 2026. “I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.”
Keep scrolling for a full break down of Tarantino’s controversial remarks about Dano:
What Did Quentin Tarantino Say About Paul Dano?
Quentin Tarantino appeared on the “Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” in December 2025, claiming that Paul Dano is “the weakest f***ing actor in SAG.” (SAG, the Screen Actors Guild, is the union for Hollywood actors.)
“[There Will Be Blood] would stand a better chance to be in No. 1 or No. 2 if it didn’t have a big giant flaw in it, [and] the flaw is Paul Dano,” Tarantino said, ranking his favorite movies. “Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, and it’s also so drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander.”
Podcast host Bret Easton Ellis further speculated that Dano’s costar Daniel Day-Lewis appeared “so gargantuan” in the 2007 that he perhaps overshadowed Dano’s performance.
“So you put him with the weakest male actor in SAG? The limpest d*** in the world?” Tarantino quipped. “I’m not saying he’s giving a terrible performance. I’m saying he’s giving a nonentity [performance]. I don’t care for him.”
Did Quentin Tarantino Diss Any Other Actors?
During his “Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” appearance in 2025, Quentin Tarantino also claimed that he didn’t “care for” Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard as actors.
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When George Clooney won the Best Actor award at the AARP Movies for Grownups in January 2026, he used his speech to support Paul Dano.
“By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored,” Clooney said. “People I’ve known most of my life … actually, most of them are actors. I have a great affinity [for them], and I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel. We are living in a time of cruelty. We don’t need to be adding to it.”
Weeks later, Dano’s Little Miss Sunshine costar Toni Collette similarly had his back.
“Are we really going there? F*** that guy! He must’ve been high,” Collette told Variety. “It was just confusing. Who does that?”
Paul Dano Breaks His Silence After Quentino Tarantino’s Comments
While speaking with Variety in January 2026, Paul Dano was grateful that so many actors were in his corner.
“That was really nice,” Dano said. “I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.”
